11 freebies and discounts you can get on Universal Credit and benefits worth up to £8.6k in April

THOUSANDS on Universal Credit and other benefits can bag 11 freebies and discounts in April.

There’s a range of help on offer, from free school meals to discounted NHS prescriptions and even grants if you’re pregnant.

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What you’ll be entitled to varies depending on your personal circumstances, so make sure you do your research.

But if you qualify for all the help, you could be in line for payments worth up to £8,649 in total.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Free or cheap broadband – £300

Households on certain benefits such as Universal Credit can save money on their broadband and mobile phones through social tariffs.

The exact qualifying criteria varies depending on which provider you go with, so it’s worth checking ahead.

There’s a list of all the providers who offer them on the Ofcom website.

Or you can use The Sun’s tool, created with Nous, to find out whether you qualify for cheaper broadband at nous.co/thesun.

Remember, even with social tariffs, it’s worth comparing any deals on price comparison sites such as MoneySupermarket and Uswitch.

The amount you’ll save varies too, although one woman previously revealed to The Sun how the switch saved her £300 a year.

Council tax – £2,065

Council tax is a priority bill meaning if you don’t pay it you can end up in court.

But there are ways to get money off the crucial bill, and in some cases have it wiped completely.

Council Tax Support is a scheme where those on a low income or benefits can get money off.

But the discount you get varies depending on your circumstances and where you live.

That said, if you do get it wiped completely it can be worth thousands of pounds, with the average Band D council tax bill currently standing at £2,065 a year.

Check out what help you can get by using the Government’s online tool at gov.uk/apply-for-council-tax-discount.

Energy bill help – up to £750

Several suppliers offer energy bill help through hardship funds worth up to £750.

Some energy firms offer energy-saving gadgets instead of cash grants too.

You’ll need to contact your supplier directly to see what its eligibility criteria is and what you can get.

If you don’t qualify for help through your energy firm, there are a number of charities and organisations that offer cash to struggling families.

Turn2Us has a free grants search tool so you can find out what help is available to you.

Plus, the Household Support Fund, which helps families with the rising cost of living is open until the end of August after it was extended.

You can get help via cash grants, energy or supermarket vouchers, and more.

The support is issued by local councils so you should contact yours to see what’s available.

You can do this by using the Government’s council locator tool online.

Pregnancy grant – £500

The Sure Start Maternity grant is a one-off payment worth £500 to help with the cost of having a child.

You’ll qualify if you’re already claiming benefits and expecting your first child, or if you have children already and are expecting twins or triplets.

New parents must claim the grant within 11 weeks of the baby’s due date or within six months after the baby is born.

To claim, you’ll need to print out and fill in the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form.

A health professional such as a doctor or midwife must also sign it before you post it to Freepost DWP SSMG.

Free childcare – £1,630

You might be able to get some of your childcare costs paid up front if you claim Universal Credit.

You can get 85% of your costs paid up to a maximum of £950.92 for one child or £1,630 for two or more.

You used to have to pay childcare costs yourself up front and then claim the money back through Universal Credit.

But now some Universal Credit claimants can get it covered without having to fork out first after a change to rules that was a huge win for The Sun’s Make Universal Credit Work campaign.

Water bill help – £1,000

Plenty of water companies offer free water-saving devices to households that can slash your bills.

The best thing to do is contact your supplier to see what help is on offer and find out more on the SaveWaterSaveMoney website.

Large families on Universal Credit or other benefits may also be eligible for a cap on their bills under the WaterSure scheme.

To qualify you need to already have a water meter installed, and prove you need to use a lot of water.

You also need to have three or more children under the age of 19 living in the house, and receive child benefit for them.

The amounts you can get off vary, but one saver revealed how they got a more than £1,000 refund through the scheme.

Money for health costs – £112

People on certain benefits and meeting specific criteria can get free NHS prescriptions.

You can use the Government’s eligibility checker tool on its website to find out what you might be in line for.

NHS prescriptions currently cost £9.65 in the UK so based on one per month, that’s a £115.80 saving over the year.

You might also get help covering prescriptions, dental and eye care costs through the NHS Low Income scheme.

You can even get free wigs and help covering the cost of travel, if it’s to health appointments.

How much you’ll be entitled to depends on financial factors including outgoings and the amount of savings you have in the bank.

The NHS has outlined more information on how to go about claiming on its website.

Cheap travel – £150

Universal Credit claimants can get 50% off their bus and train fares with the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount.

However, it’s only available if you’re unemployed but looking for work and are on Jobseeker’s Allowance.

You’ll also need to have claimed Universal Credit for three to nine months if you’re aged between 18 and 24 years old.

For those aged 25 or older, you must have claimed the benefit for three to 12 months to be eligible for a discount.

There’s no guarantee you’ll get the discount though – it’s up to your local JobCentre Plus branch to decide.

Meanwhile, there’s the Flexible Support Fund, which is a pot of money that has been put aside by the Government to help you with the costs of getting a job.

The fund is managed by local job centres and can be used to cover the following costs of job hunting:

• Training for a job, up to £150
• Travel to interviews
• Childcare
• Tools for work
• Cost of medical evidence required by a disabled person
• Clothing and uniforms to start work
• Support for single parents in financial emergencies in the first 26 weeks of starting a job.

You can find out more about how to apply in our guide.

Free school meals – up to £500

In England, if you have children at a state school in reception, year 1 or year 2, they are entitled to free school meals regardless of your household income.

However, if you’re claiming certain benefits, including Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Child Tax Credits, you can get free school meals for older children too.

How you apply depends on your personal circumstances – some may be able to via their local council and others might have to speak to their children’s school directly.

You can type your postcode into the government’s website to see who to contact and how to apply at gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.

The exact amount you’ll get depends on where you are, but are worth around £460 on average per child per year, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

If you’re eligible for free school meals, you may also get similar help during school holidays like Christmas and Easter, as well as half terms.

Help to Save – £1,200

Help to Save is a scheme available to those on Universal Credit and offering a 50% bonus on any savings you make.

You can add up to £50 into a Help to Save account every month for up to four years.

So, if you added the maximum amount each month for 48 months, you would end up with a £1,200 bonus.

But you can still get some of the bonus even by saving a small amount – check out how it works here.

Healthy start – £442

New or expectant parents can get up to £442 worth of free food a year through the Healthy Start scheme.

Anyone more than 10 weeks pregnant or with a child under four years old and on benefits can apply online or via email.

If eligible, you are issued with a card which you can use in a number of supermarkets and retailers.

But you can only use the card to buy certain products such as cow’s milk, fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables and tinned pulses.

The full list of benefits qualifying you for the scheme is:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit with a family income of £16,190 or less per year
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit with no earned income or total earned income of £408 or less per month for the family

You can also apply for the scheme if you are under 18 and not on any benefits.

You can find out more about the scheme in our guide.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk