Benefits & tax credits

Its about helping people get their entitlement! Not about benefits policy! This board is here for help and support for those on or looking to claim benefits, not for judgement. Its ONLY focus is helping people with their money. It's here to help people find out what they are entitled to under the current system, and to…

MoneySavingExpert insert: Huge thanks to Fran for compiling this list some time ago. The MSE article and forum links are up to date but links to other sites may be broken. Back to Fran's original post: ---- The following links may prove useful in looking for information about Benefits and Jobseeking. MSE Attendance…

I am currently going through a personal injury compensation claim. I don't claim UC at the moment. I do claim PIP and Contribution based ESA. Can someone advise that if I do start claiming UC what will this be offset against when my claim settles through the CRU recovery unit? Thanks

It's that time of year again. The qualifying date for this year's scheme was 23 August 2026. If you were eligible on that date, and your energy supplier is part of the scheme (most are), the you will get the WHD this year. https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme EDIT 19th October - The scheme is now ‘Live’ and the…

Hi all, I've had a lovely letter from HMRC saying due to my income I need to pay the child benefit income charge. I don't understand tax. I used the calculator and worked out my adjusted income after my pension and it suggested I owe £108. Log onto the GOV site to sort it out and its close to £1,000 for this year. My…

Does anyone have any insight into the application process that isn't available online? Reason being, I'm almost 3 months into UC now and have hit a brick wall. I seemingly can't even get the ball rolling. Having left multiple journal messages, first being at the start of August, and phoning UC. The most recent update…

I saw that and uploaded my capital, I also wrote in my journal and sent them copies of my capital by post. I thought they opened on the weekends? Has anyone experienced this? How comes it's not in my journal as completed?

Hi, I'm in receipt of the above and in the support group. I currently have savings over the cut off point for UC (16k) and paying full rent and council tax from these savings which are gradually reducing as I have no other income. I understand that with CB ESA there is no help with private rental costs and you have to…

I seem to have one of these UC reviews again my last one was around late 2024 is this usual to have two reviews within this period, anyways I’m not too fussed as I’m guessing it’s just regular thing they do but I’m a little concerned regarding a payment I received into my account from a friend, it was a rather large…

I received this text message this morning: We need to call you to check your Universal Credit claim details are still correct. Your payments may be affected if we cannot speak to you. If you miss a call, contact the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644 Is this normal - it worried me. Is this normal.

Hello all, I would greatly appreciate other's opinion on this. I am fairly certain on my reading of the Child Winter Heating Payments are disregarded as capital for Universal Credit purposes for 52 weeks, unless we spend them is that correct? So we wont be deducted £4.35 per month for every £250 (or part of £250) of…

I'm not entirely sure if this is the right place to post this but basically, 20 odd years ago I lived in Northamptonshire, there was a period where I got married, but my partner/new husband didn't live with me, (he was tied into a tenancy and it was closer to his work) he Was working, but I was claiming benefits.Then…

I went on UC a few months ago, before applying I had about £20k in my bank but had credit card debt of around £9k, I read the UC legislation about paying off debt "(2) A person is not to be treated as depriving themselves of capital if the person disposes of it for the purposes of— (a)reducing or paying a debt owed by the…

Hi all, I recently had to resign from my job as my employer had stopped paying me (currently owes me £6k) which I'm using ACAS for to get back (eventually!!). I put in a JSA claim but they rejected it as I was self employed during the period they checked my NI And I hadn't enough cat1 at that time???? Even though I've paid…

I’m currently receiving ESA, PIP and UC. I also get a council tax award. I may have found a job just a hour a day delivering some school meals. The company will pay me a daily rate and want me to be self employed. I’ve looked at the benefits calculators online but what I want to know is how much better or worse off will I…

I am asking on behalf of a friend.. They were on DLA some time back, maybe pre 2016, and they got transferred over to PIP around 2016. Now in 2026 they have to do a new PIP form. I'm looking for what they wrote on the form last time. They have a file on their computer of a scanned in DLA form.. but not of a scanned in PIP…

Inherited SIPP, £78k inheritance and losing Universal Credit – how should I manage it? Hi everyone, I'm hoping for some advice on how best to manage my inheritance and my late father's SIPP. There are quite a few different aspects to this, so I'll try to explain everything clearly. My circumstances I'm 63 this year and…

Follow-on from this thread as wanted a better title https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6645427/uc-interest Quick back story my friend (M) and I were injured in a car crash, M was driving, 100% the other parties fault. M was offered and accepted a Part 36 (well over £16k) and now has the payout (so far I've not…

Wednesday 19th November 2025 Good morning. I’m interested on people’s thoughts concerning joint bank accounts for family members who care for elderly and disabled people. I have a family member (77yo) who lives abroad who, several years ago, shared a joint bank account with her aunt (100yo) at the time. The sharing of a…

Hi, I've just received this message in my journal. I wasn't expecting this. Not sure why they want to go so far back. Does this mean a monthly statement for all of that time? When it says overpayment, does this mean I owe them money? Feeling quite stressed by this. Thanks in advance for any help.

Just want to get some advice/thoughts on the above? Partner receives enhanced daily living already and not due for a review until 2030, he will be of pension age when this is due and his problems will not change, just get worse as he gets older. He has now been told by his gp not to drive and has been referred to the sleep…

Lost job during probation period. Live with my partner who earns 105k. I have no savings but she does. UC seems to now mean we apply as a couple rather than just me as it was when I last needed UC. I don't want to apply and negatively affect partner in any way.