MARTIN Lewis has urged anyone who earns less that £40,000 to check if they can qualify for a £9,600 income boost.
The money-saving expert himself explained that recent figures show 1.25million people are missing out on Universal Credit every year.
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Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain yesterday, Martin told viewers that a huge 41% of Universal Credit claimants work.
He urged others to complete an easy online check to make sure they’re not missing out on support.
Universal Credit is the “catch all” benefit for people of working age to help with living and housing costs, Martin explained.
He said: “If you’ve got a low income, whether you’re working or not, you will want to check this out.
“But, if you have income stretching up to £40,000 a year, if you’ve got children, you’re paying for childcare or rent – you could still be entitled to Universal Credit.”
Martin said that this is his “rule of thumb” for knowing whether people should check if they can get the benefit.
If this applies to you then you can use a simple online benefit calculator and pop your details in, it only takes around 10 minutes.
The handy tool will then tell you if you can get the cash, worth an average of £9,600 a year.
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There are several to choose from including ones from MoneySavingExpert and the government website.
Martin went on to say that due to thresholds increasing in April, some people who weren’t eligible last year might be now so it’s definitely worth a go.
It comes following new analysis by the think-tank Policy in Practice suggests that the total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is nearly £19billion a year.
In its latest report, it estimates that £7.5billion of Universal Credit is unclaimed by 1.25million eligible households.
During the show Martin also revealed that other benefits including pension credit, council tax support, carer’s allowance, child benefit and broadband social tariffs are also severely underclaimed.
How much Universal Credit can I get?
Your individual circumstances will affect how much Universal Credit you receive such as how many children you have, your earnings, and how many people you reside with.
But it’s also affected by the benefit cap, which limits the amount of welfare you can get.
The benefit cap outside Greater London is:
- £423.46per week (£1,835 per month) if you’re in a couple or if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
- £283.71 per week (£1,229.42 per month) if you’re a single adult
The benefit cap inside Greater London is:
- £486.98 per week (£2,110.25 per month) if you’re in a couple or if you’re a single parent and your children live with you
- £326.26 per week (£1,413.92 per month) if you’re a single adult
The easiest way to know how much you’ll get is by using a benefits calculator or speaking to a charity.
Who can get benefits?
You can apply for benefits if you’re out of work, but also if you’re employed.
But eligibility criteria for all the different types can be complex.
That’s why using benefits calculators are so handy as they do most of the work for you.
There are dozens of different benefits you can apply for if you live in the UK.
They’re roughly split into four groups: families, work, low-income and health/elderly.
If you need help supporting a family, if you’re a parent say, you can get:
- child benefit
- child tax credits
- maternity/paternity or adoption pay
- marriage allowance
- maternity grants
- maternity allowance
- widowed parent’s allowance
- Scottish child payment
If you’re in work or you’re looking for work you can get working tax credit or jobseeker’s allowance.
If you’re on a low income you can get:
- income support
- income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- income-based employment and support allowance
- pension credit
- housing benefit
- council tax reduction
- free school meals
- support for mortgage interest
- budgeting loans and advances
- funeral payments
- council support schemes
- cold weather payments
If you are ill, disabled or elderly and need help, you can get:
- attendance allowance
- personal independence payment
- carer’s allowance
- new-style employment and support allowance
- sick pay
- state pension
- bereavement support payment
- winter fuel payments
Beyond using a benefits calculator, there are a number of free services available to you if you want to find out what you could be eligible for.
Organisations like Citizens Advice often have branches in most major towns or cities and can offer you free advice.
Plus, charities like Turn2Us can help you get access to benefits if you think you’re entitled to them.
Menawhile, an urgent warning has been issued for Brits on Universal Credit missing out of £200 a year in bill help.
Plus, hundreds of thousands of households have just hours left to claim pension credit and receive £301 free cash on top.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
