UK Benefits Advice - Check Your Entitlement

See Also The Following Related Pages:

Back To Money Saving Home

Budgeting Advice

Check Your Credit Rating

Tips For Spending Less

Money Saving Tips

Pay Off Your Debt Before Saving

When you are in debt, you need to consider how to reduce your expenditure, but you should also consider your income, and consider the various ways there may be of increasing it. Depending on your particular circumstances, one thing that can have a positive impact on your income is if you are entitled to any financial help through the various benefits that are available.

I wouldn't recommend everyone ploughing through what can be a bit of a nightmare of paperwork on the off-chance of being entitled to a benefit. You need to consider whether you might be entitled to claim before you start. It will be well worth looking into if you are on a low income, have dependent children, cannot work due to illness or disability, are aged over 60, are pregnant or have recently given birth, or if you have been bereaved.

A useful online Benefits Adviser tool is available to help you find out if you are entitled to any benefits. You can find this here.

The following are some of the main benefits available to people.

UK Benefits Advice - Tax Credits

Working Tax Credit is paid to top up the earnings of people on a low income, including those without children. Child Tax Credits are payable to people who care for children or young people and earn below a certain amount. Both credits are paid by HM Revenue and Customs.

UK Benefits Advice - Income Support

Income Support is a means tested benefit paid to people who do not have enough money to live on. If you are entitled to Income Support, you will automatically be entitled to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

This benefit is normally for people who are not required to look for work, such as lone parents or carers. You normally need to be between 18 and 60 to claim Income Support.

UK Benefits Advice - Jobseeker's Allowance

Jobseeker's Allowance is for unemployed people who are available for work. To claim this you will be 18 or over and under pension age. If you work more than 16 hours per week this will affect the amount of Jobseeker's Allowance you receive. Two types of allowance are available, contribution-based JSA is related to the amount of National Insurance you have paid while working, and income-based JSA is a means tested benefit for those who have not made enough National Insurance contributions to claim the contribution-based allowance.

UK Benefits Advice - Employment And Support Allowance

This benefit is for people who cannot work due to sickness or disability, but who are not claiming statutory sick pay. This is a new benefit that replaces Incapacity Benefit, and also Income Support for those receiving it due to illness or disability.

UK Benefits Advice - Carer's Allowance

This is paid to people who are giving regular and substantial care to people in their own homes.

UK Benefits Advice - Education Maintenance Allowance

This is available to young people aged 16-19 in further education, studying at least 12 hours a week and living in households with an income below £31,000.

There are a host of other benefits too. For further information and advice contact your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau

UK Benefits Advice - Further Contacts:

HM Work and Pensions

Department For Work and Pensions

© copyright DebtAssistanceSite.com 2008-09