MILLIONS of people claiming benefits could be missing out on thousands of pounds from a saving bonus.
The Help to Save scheme gives you extra money on top of your own savings worth up to £1,200, which can help you save for a rainy day.
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For each £1 you set aside into a special account, the government will give you 50p on top.
If you save the maximum amount each year, you could earn a bonus of £1,200 over the four years you can save into it.
To get the maximum bonus, you would need to save £2,400 over the same time – that’s £50 per month.
Just over a quarter of a million people have opened a Help to Save account since its launch in September 2018, according to the latest figures from the government.
Now 284,050 of these accounts are open, 20,000 more than at the start of the year.
But it means millions of people who are eligible for the account and generous free cash bonus are still missing out.
Around 3.5million people were estimated to be eligible for an account when the Help to Buy scheme first launched.
But Universal Credit claims have rocketed since then because of the pandemic meaning even more people could now get the account.
Best savings accounts for your cash right now
HELP to Save offers a higher effective rate of interest than what you’d earn with a regular savings account or bank account.
For example, the top easy-access savings accounts right now are offering rates of 0.50% AER, according to Money Facts.
This means for £1,000 invested for 12 months at an interest rate of 0.50% AER, you’ll earn approximately £5.00 interest.
The top fixed rate accounts offer 1.10% AER on your savings and you can’t touch your money for five years.
In terms of instant access cash ISA accounts, the top rate is 0.40% AER.
There are 235,000 who have so far saved into account leaving 50,000 who have opened one but not yet saved any money.
Help to Save is useful for people who can afford to put money away each month or week, so the scheme isn’t for everyone, but you can still open one and save even a pound here and there.
Savers who do stash some cash are putting away on average each month £48 – just shy of the £50 limit.
At the start of 2020, around 163,000 people had signed up to Help to Save, compared to just 90,000 people in 2019.
Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, previously told The Sun: “The first Help to Save bonuses were a shot in the arm for savers who had been laid low by the pandemic.
“Early birds who snapped up a Help to Save account in the first few months will have received their bonus during some of the toughest months of the pandemic.
“If you qualify for the scheme, it’s worth taking the time to consider if there’s any way you can afford to put away any money each month.”
Who is eligible for Help to Save?
Help to Save accounts are available to people who:
- Receive Working Tax Credit
- Are entitled to Working Tax Credit and receive Child Tax Credit
- Claim Universal Credit and you (with your partner if it’s a joint claim) earned £604.56 or more from paid work in your last monthly assessment period
You and your partner can apply for separate Help to Save accounts, but you’ll both need to apply individually.
Savers also need to be living in the UK to be eligible for the scheme.
How much can you save through Help to Save?
You can save between £1 and £50 every calendar month and accounts last for four years from the date opened.
After two years, savers get a 50% tax-free bonus on the highest balance they’ve achieved.
If you continue saving, you get another 50% tax-free bonus after a further two years.
The most you can earn from your savings in four years is £1,200 in bonus money.
As Help to Save is an easy-access account, you can make withdrawals – but doing this may affect your bonus.
You should also note that if your Help to Save cash pushes you over £6,000 in personal savings, it could affect your eligibility for some benefits.
How to apply for Help to Save
You can apply for an account via Gov.uk but you need a government gateway user ID and password.
If you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you apply.
For those who don’t have access to the internet, you can still get an account – just call 0300 322 7093.
Be aware that you’ll be asked to provide your bank details when you apply as the bonus is paid into your bank account rather than into the savings account.
MPs have called for the Universal Credit £20 weekly boost offered through the pandemic to be made permanent.
Millions on Universal Credit have not yet been sent letters warning about the benefits cut that’s just weeks away.
Martin Lewis has urged Brits who were turned down for Universal Credit last year to re-apply now.
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