HOUSEHOLD budgets are being stretched – but there’s plenty of help you can get to to give your bank balance a boost.
Energy bills are rising as the £66/£67 a month rebate has ended, plus council tax and water bills are on the up from this month.
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Even mobile phone and broadband bills are going up, so getting all the help you’re entitled to is more important than ever
Meanwhile, your weekly shop at the supermarket is still rising at a record rate with the average trolley now costing £837 more annually than this time last year.
But there’s free cash you can claim in the form of grants, rebates, missing funds and more – and it could help you get your finances on track.
Here’s everything you could claim, who’s eligible and how to apply.
Household Support Fund
Households across the country can claim supermarket vouchers, free cash and even gadgets like air fryers or fridges to help in the cost of living crisis.
That’s all thanks to the Household Support Fund – a multi-million pound pot of cash that local councils have been given to dish out to those struggling the most.
The scheme has been extended after initially being set to end on March 31.
Families and individuals will now be able to get the help until March 2024.
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Your local council will have details about the new scheme and what it’s offering and some have already announced the help.
For example, people living in Torbay can apply for £500 free cash from April 1.
You apply directly with your local council for help – and you might have to meet their eligibility criteria in order to claim too.
Each council will have a different application process – so exact details on how to apply will vary depending on where you live.
And some local authorities give the help automatically, while in other areas you’ll need to apply.
Council tax discount
Many people don’t realise they can get a cheaper council tax bill.
There are a number of discounts you could get, depending on your circumstances.
Factors such as your household income, whether you have children, and if you receive any benefits, will influence what you get.
To apply for any of the below discounts, go through the government website.
If you live on your own, you can get 25% off your council tax bill.
This also applies if there is one adult and one student living together in a property, or if there is one adult and one person classed as severely mentally impaired in the home.
If you live with someone who doesn’t have to pay council tax, such as a carer or someone who is severely mentally impaired, you could get a larger reduction too, of up to 50%.
And, if you live in an all-student household, you could get a 100% discount.
Pensioners may also find themselves eligible for a council tax reduction.
If you receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you could get a 100% discount.
If not, you could still get help if you have a low income and less than £16,000 in savings.
And a pensioner who lives alone will be entitled to a 25% discount too.
If you are on a low income or receiving benefits, you could eligible for a reduction on your council tax.
Whether you are eligible will vary depending on where you live.
You could also get a deferral if you’re struggling to pay your bill, or you can speak to your council about setting up a payment plan to manage the cost.
Grants and hardship funds
You can get a grant from your energy supplier if you’re really struggling and need help paying off debts.
Scottish Power, for example, gives up to £750 per household to the most hard-up households.
Most hardship funds have no deadline and you can apply all year round.
There is no specific eligibility criteria, but most customers who get help are in arrears on their bill.
Exactly what you can get will depend on your supplier so you should check with them directly.
But British Gas offers an energy fund with grants of up to £1,000 for anyone – you don’t have to be a customer.
Cost of living payments
Millions of people will receive the first part of a £900 cost of living payment this spring.
It’s part of the £1,350 support scheme from the government which Jeremy Hunt unveiled in his Autumn Budget.
The first payment, which will be £301, will be paid directly into bank accounts between April 25 and May 17.
it will show in your bank account as “DWP COLP” along with your National Insurance (NI) number.
The full list of benefits that qualify people for the payment is:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension credit
If you were receiving any of the above benefits between January 26 and February 25 this year you will receive the £301 payment.
If you were later found to be entitled to any of the above benefits between January 26 and February 25 you will be eligible for the payment too.
But those getting tax credits will get the cash at a later date to avoid duplicate payments.
This payment will be tax-free and will not have any effect on any existing benefit payments that you receive.
Further cost of living payments are also coming, but the exact dates have not yet been revealed.
- £150 – 2023 Disability Payment – during Summer 2023
- £300 – Second Cost of Living Payment – during Autumn 2023
- £300 – 2023 Pensioner Payment – during Winter
- £299 – Third Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2024
Tax-free childcare
Parents can get up to £2,000 in free childcare help including kids’ clubs over the Easter holidays that are right around the corner.
Around 1.3million eligible households are missing out on the support with childcare costs.
All working parents with children who are 11 or under can apply for the Government’s tax-free scheme.
It goes up to a maximum of £4,000 if your child is disabled too.
The scheme essentially works like a savings account where for every £8 you save towards childcare costs, the government tops up an extra £2.
So if you put away £8,000 a year for one child, the government will give you £2,000 totally free.
You can usually get tax-free childcare if you, and your partner if you have one, are:
- in work
- on sick leave or annual leave
- on shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave
If you’re not currently working but your partner is, you may still be eligible.
You will have to also be claiming one of the following benefits:
- Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance.
Child trust funds
Millions of parents could be missing out on thousands stashed away in a Child Trust Fund in their child’s name.
Children born between September 1, 2002, and August 2, 2010, were given a government bonus of £250 each through the tax-free scheme when they were born.
Then they got another £250 when the child reached the age of seven.
While children born between August 3, 2010, and January 2, 2011, got £50.
Lower income families would receive double the amount – adding to up to £1,000 in savings.
But the scheme was scrapped to encourage Junior ISAs instead, so many parents may have forgotten the funds are sitting waiting to be claimed.
If you don’t know if your child has one, use the government’s free online tool.
Healthy Start Vouchers
Healthy start vouchers can help you cover the cost of fresh food and drink for your kids.
If you’re on a low income, the scheme could be worth as much as £442 a year.
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, which makes up the £442 maximum.
There used to be paper vouchers, but that has been replaced by a prepaid card, so you’ll get the amounts added to that instead automatically every four weeks.
Unclaimed benefits
More than £15billion goes unclaimed from the Treasury in missing benefits each year, according to Which?.
If you have a low household income, you may be able to claim things like Universal Credit.
There’s also a 25% council tax discount you might be missing out on, and other tax credits like child tax credit and working tax credit.
You can use tools like online benefits calculators from charities such as Turn2Us to check whether you’re eligible for benefits, and which ones, and start claiming the cash help.
Lost pension pots
Millions of people are now enrolled in a pension automatically through their work.
Each time you start a new job you start a new pension, which can leave many Brits with several pots of cash that they might easily forget about.
Your employer should be able to tell you where your pension money is if you have been auto-enrolled onto a scheme.
The Association of British Insurers estimates that there are around 1.6million missing pension pots, with an average size of £13,000.
Pension providers are also supposed to send annual statements to scheme members so check old paperwork or emails.
If you still can’t find your lost pots, you can contact the Pension Tracing Service.
One consumer put £900 into pensions and by the time they tracked them down 27 years later they were worth £20,000, so it’s worth checking.
Other help you can get
If you are struggling with your bills then there are a number of charities and organisations which may be able to help:
