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Its about helping people get their entitlement! Not about benefits policy!
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…
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*USEFUL LINKS*
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…
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Does this board need a rename?
(I originally posted this on the 'Site feedback and Forum Help' section, but got no response there. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6666774/mse-benefits-tax-credits-board#latest ). So here it is again, this time as a poll. As Tax Credits in the UK were abolished over a year ago now, in April 2026, isn't it…
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Fresh ADP application whilst at tribunal
My adp is currently stuck at tribunal stage and has been for months, I believe you can trigger a new application with sss whilst you are waiting? Does the backdate go from the date you triggered your fresh application, or from the date of the tribunal decision? I called the sss 0800 number and they said I can make a fresh…
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Will investments to pay off endowment affect job seekers claim?
Hello, I've recently been made redundant and am looking to sign on while I continue to search for a new job. I have an endowment mortgage with £66k left to pay. I have that sum (and more) in ISAs and other investments. They are earning more interest than my current interest only rate, so I haven't paid it off yet. I'm…
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SMI for under 18
Hello all. My son has a severe mental impairment but is only 8, would we be eligible for any council tax reduction given his age? It is unclear on my LA's website and they closed my query without explanation so I am currently none the wiser to if it is worth pursuing. Thanks.
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UC and inheritance.
I'm in the fortunate position of receiving some inheritance probably around £32.000. I know i can pay some debts off but would like to buy myself a second hand car. I have a motability car at the minute but the advance payments are ever increasing.IE, my last car had an advance payment of £2000. I cant find any guidance on…
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Warm Home Discount winter 2026-27; new eligibility rules for Scotland.
I have just noticed that new legislation came into force on May 1st 2026 that expands the automatic eligibility for Warm Home Discount in Scotland, to bring it more into line with England/Wales. This means that more households in Scotland will now qualify automatically for a £150 Warm Home Discount next winter without…
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COL payment
I have heard that theres a new cost of living payment this summer? Im not sure how accurate this is so wondering if anyone can confirm or not and if like the other COL payments will be disregarded for Universal Credit?
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Universal Credit Savings
I'm new to Universal Credit. Just starting divorce proceedings, I have initially come away with £5k which I and my two teens started living off. I am unemployed, we have 1 teen home educated, through necessity, and previously could afford for me not to work. Obviously now not the case. When I opened a claim, I included the…
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ESA application
Hi, I’m on long term sick, I have three months until SSP runs out and then go on half pay. I just applied for new style ESA as read I can apply three months before SSP runs out. I applied online and also downloaded my current fit note, it said I’d be contacted within ten working days to arrange a telephone appointment. I…
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How long does a mandatory reconsideration take?
I wrote to the DWP asking for a mandatory reconsideration of my pension credit award as they had failed to take permanent disregards into account when assessing the award. I thought this would be a fairly straightforward procedure. Especially as I sent therm a detailed list of such disregards with dates of payments…
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Would this affect my Pension Credit
I am currently claiming Pension Savings credit and I get a small amount each week. I am considering applying to the Land Registry for a possessory title on a small piece of land I have used for the last 42 years. The land is unlikely to be worth much as it cannot be developed. It's only about 111 square metres, and access…
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2 parents claiming UC for children
Hi, I need help regarding claiming UC for children, I have 20 month old twin girls and have full PR, Father has none and isn’t on their birth certificate. I have been informed that he has been telling people that he claims UC for my children. Would this even be possible for him to do this and how could I find out as surely…
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Confusion over when Transitional Protection ends, help needed please.
Hello, I am new to the forum and need a bit of guidance as I feel quite confused and slightly overwhelmed. I apologise for the length of this discussion and if anyone has the time to advise me, I would be extremely grateful. My query is around Universal Credit and Transitional Protection in particular. For context, I was…
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Rent Error
I have noticed several people who have direct rent to the landlord or housing association have been stating they are paid by the claimant with the overpayment errors. Please check your housing costs if you've had overpayment errors; it will still happen, and message your landlord to check. This is a total mess on the UC…
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UC: Do I need to report an increase in my work pension?
My work (Civil Service) pension increases from tomorrow (30/04/26). Do I need to inform UC of this increase? If so, how do I do this? Looking at "Report a change" on my UC account I can't see any obvious heading to click to report the change. "Money, savings and investments" seems to be just about reporting changes to…
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Paying high income child benefit charge when pay is variable (commission based)
I’ve just had a baby and have applied for child benefit but we’ll have to pay some (if not all) of it back as my husband’s income tends to be high. However, his basic salary is around £24k and the rest is commission based, varying month by month, year by year. When we tried to sign up for the PAYE method of repaying, it…
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UC Migration from ESA - permitted work v work allowance
Hello, Whilst I am receiving a little more per month on UC ( mandatory migration from ESA ), due to transitional protection, I am losing a lot more, when you compare UC earnings limits with ESA. For example on ESA 2026-27 max. earnings are £881.83 p.c.m., before affecting benefit payment, however, on UC, max earnings (…
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Ending self assessment ( high income child benefit )
Hi, all To give some background, I've been PAYE all my working life. Over the past 2-3 years I've had to do self-assessment due to the high income child benefit thing. However, we have now ended our child benefit as of around three weeks ago, hopefully this means I can stop doing any form of self assessment? Do I just…
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Pension credit application - what is savings
hello, when the savings amount is filled in is it literally everything in bank account. I ask as UC did not count the months income until the next month as you used it during the month it was received - I cannot find what Pension credit does. This is causing confusion over what to put and I don’t want to get into trouble.…
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Lodger, UC, do I need to inform DWP as “change of circumstances”
hello, I understand everything about taking in a lodger while on UC with housing element, however this is the one thing I cannot understand: they are not family or a non dependant, nothing to do with my household, simply a lodger. Does this count as a change of circumstance that needs to be reported to the DWP? I know it…
