Four common benefits mistakes that could see you lose THOUSANDS revealed – and how to avoid them

GETTING all the help you need is crucial as the cost-of-living crisis bites – but common benefits mistakes could mean you’re losing out on hundreds.

Households are currently battling soaring bills and prices which means those on low income are particularly struggling.

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The rate of inflation – which has hit 10.1% – means thousands of people’s incomes simply aren’t covering essential bills.

It means that many people are relying on extra help from benefit payments to help them get by.

But a number of simple mistakes that are easy to make could be costing you thousands of pounds, Turn2Us benefits expert Anna Stevenson said.

Check what benefits you are entitled to

Millions of people are missing out on money they are entitled to.

Turn2Us’ latest research shows that seven million people in the UK are missing out on £15billion in unclaimed benefits.

The biggest pot of cash that was left unclaimed last year was housing benefit, with £3.3billion up for grabs.

While around 1million people are missing out on a total £2.9billion in Universal Credit.

“At a time where the rising cost-of-living is squeezing the incomes of millions of people across the UK, more people than ever will be forced to make impossible decisions to get by – this isn’t right,” Ms Stevenson said.

“Use our quick, easy, free and confidential online Benefits Calculator to see if there are any benefits you could be claiming.”

Believing benefit myths

You might think that you are not eligible for extra help if you’re working, or have some savings in the bank.

But that’s a common mistake people who can get help are making, Ms Stevenson said.

“Don’t assume if you are working or have some savings you can’t claim benefits,” she said.

“Around half of all people claiming Universal Credit are in work, for example.”

For example, you can get Universal Credit if you are over 18, out of work, or on a low income with less than £16,000 in savings.

And if you have savings of £10,000 or less, it won’t affect how much pension credit you can get – Turn2Us estimates 958,000 people lost out on £1.8billion last year.

Again, you can use Turn2Us’ benefits entitlement calculator to double check you’re not missing out on any help.

Missing out on benefit perks

You might not know that you can get bill discounts and freebies if you claim certain benefits.

“By being in receipt of benefits, you could access extra help – examples include low-cost water or broadband tariffs, free school meals or healthy start vouchers for your children,” Ms Stevenson said.

Here’s how you can apply for each discount.

Money off water bills

Low income households can save up to £500 a year on their water bill.

You could be able to qualify for the WaterSure scheme and get you bills capped.

To qualify for the scheme 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 Consumer Council for Water estimates that bills are reduced by £270 on average through the scheme.

While individual water suppliers also offer social tariffs – so its worth checking in with yours to see what is on offer and if you can apply for it.

You need to apply directly to the company to get the tariff.

For example, one lucky bill payer got a total £1,053 off his water bill thanks to the scheme.

You will need a household income below £16,385 excluding benefits.

Broadband tariffs

You could save cash every year on cheap broadband tariffs if you are in receipt of certain benefits.

While it’s estimated that up to 4.2million households could be eligible for cheap broadband deals, regular Ofcom says only around 55,000 homes have taken advantage of the offers.

Applying for a social tariff changes depending on who you are signing up with.

Providers offer different packages, so it’s worth shopping around for the best deals.

You can check other prices on the market by using comparison websites such as moneysupermarket.com or Uswitch.

For example, EE offers its Basics package for mobile phone customers for £12, while VOXI has its own £10 monthly plan.

BT offers two different packages with different speeds – one is £15 a month and another is £20 a month.

Meanwhile, NOW offers a social broadband package for £20. Plus, Vodafone’s Essentials broadband deal is £12.

Some of the benefits that qualify you for a social tariff include: Universal Credit, Employment and support allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance.

But each provider has its own eligibility criteria, so bear that in mind when searching around for deals.

If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible, The Sun has come up with an easy tool to help you check.

Free school meals and vouchers

You could also qualify for free school meals or Healthy Start vouchers to help you pay for food.

If you claim certain benefits – which you can check here – you’ll be eligible for the help.

Up to 207,000 parents across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are missing out on the Healthy Start Scheme every year, which helps families struggling to keep up with costs by dishing out prepaid cards.

These are for parents to spend at a range of supermarkets and shops, replacing vouchers.

You’ll need to be more than 10 weeks pregnant to claim, but women or men who have children under four will be eligible too.

However, if you are under 18 and pregnant you can get the money, even if you don’t receive any of the qualifying benefits.

Each healthy start voucher is currently worth £4.25 a week, and over a year that adds up to £221.

It’s worth double that if you have a child under the age of one as you’ll be eligible for two vouchers each week, so it’s up to £442.

There used to be paper vouchers, but that’s was replaced this year by a prepaid card, so you’ll get the amounts added to that instead automatically every four weeks.

You can use the healthy start prepaid card at any location where Mastercard is accepted.

You can can go onto the government website to apply.

Alternatively you can print out a paper form from the Healthy Start website or request one from your GP or midwife.

Failing to update personal info

If your personal circumstances change, you must update the benefits office.

If you don’t alert them of any updates – such as name, gender, job or address changes – the benefits office could put your payments on pause.

It could mean you could miss out on hundreds of pounds worth of payments.

Keep in mind that you will need to get in contact with multiple departments separately if you claim different benefits, Ms Stevenson said.

“It is pretty common that people will be getting benefits that are paid and administered by different departments of the government.

“If something changes in your life, you need to update all the offices that pay your benefits – you cannot rely on just telling one of them and trusting that they will update the other benefits’ systems.”

For example, Universal Credit claimants should report changes using their online account or by ringing the helpline.

While people who claim Pension Credit should contact the Pension Service helpline or report changes by post.

Another simple mistake you could make includes failing to inform the benefit office if you’re planning to go abroad for any length of time.

To check all the changes you need to report to avoid your benefits payments being paused, reduced or overpaid, visit the government website.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk