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Benefits & tax credits

Get help discovering which benefits you are entitled to - and how to claim them.

Migrating to UC after a SDP back payment
Hi all, I will inevitably need to migrate to Universal Credit at some point in the near future. Around 2 or 3 years ago, I received a £16K back payment from the DWP due to the fact that an error was made, by myself and/or the DWP, in terms of not claiming severe disability premium. Today, most of that remains unspent (I…
The rich get rich and the poor get poorer
After marital breakdown and several years of waiting my local council rehoused me into an adapted property as I have very poor mobility so the house has a stairlift and a level access shower which is ideal. I am on benefits due to disability and I am in receipt of universal credit,Employment and support allowance and after…
Family member, 60, widowed, on ESA. What might she be entitled too, please?
Hi, as stated in the title. R, female, was married for several decades. Her husband, sadly, died a couple of days ago. She is off work, having been dismissed while recovering from an operation, (Now looking at unfair dismissal, but that's a different story!) and is receiving ESA. Can anyone tell me, and thus her, what she…
Inheritance in a trust and UC
Hello, My father passed away last year and left the house in a trust which provides that my stepmother continues to live in the house as a life tenant and is entitled to 50% of the house, and the other 50% will go to me, my three brothers and another third party when the house is sold after my step-mother dies. One of my…
Housing benefits
I currently am unemployed and get UC and housing benefits. I have started talking to my partner about moving in together with her school age child but would need to be bigger while still being close to the school. Do you think enquiring about moving in to a different place would bounce me off the benefits as she has a job?
Carers Allowance Closing claim as overlapping benefit
We are a mixed age couple. Myself IR ESA ,DLA high care, low mob Partner SP, PIP High on both care and mob My partner the older one at 66, was/is on CA for myself ,but that has stopped in payment now,as an overlapping benefit to his SP. However, they are still taking it out of my IR ESA as income. He was advised to phone…
Benefits and mortgage
My partner and I recently split. We have a mortgage together and children. So for that reason we are not selling the house right now as I am not working. Can I claim any benefits if my partner is still down on the mortgage? Not sure how it all works. He hasn't moved out yet either not sure if that affects it. But he will…
Migration to UC - What Should Happen with My 18 year old Special Needs Child?
I have received a UC Migration Letter. Currently on Legacy Benefits (Income support and SDP, Carers allowance, HB, CB, Child tax credits - including disability amounts for my son). My son has just turned 18 (so an adult), is still attending a specialist school and will be for another academic year. I have until 25th July…
ESA Text help
Phoned ESA yesterday to inform of a address change. Have just received a text today from ESA saying. I'm on contribution based support group. Can't phone them now untill Minday any idea why they have sent me this text? We need to talk to you about your address, failure to call us will affect the regularity of your payments…
DWP Under pay of Universal Credit - when not in work
I have been doing seasonal work the last few years while waiting for when i can claim my state pension. All was fine until January of this year ( 2024) when the Universal Credit payment was cut in half, as they claimed that i had been working in December 2023, when in fact my job had finished at the end of October and my…
Confused.
Hi I'm looking for advice. My child is interim care while I fight to get them back. As my child is not in my care can the sure start maternity grant be backdated as they will be 6 months old or just over if they come home? I have parental responsibility but shared with local authority or can I apply now because I have…
Tax question . Help me make sense .
Both my wife and i are pensioners .We both have private pension's and oap . After rise in oap we were looking forward to a little more money but . After tax man changed my wife's code she has went from 1170 pounds a month in her account down to 983 pounds . Tax free amount has changed from 1918 pounds to 1085 pounds . Tax…
UC and self assessment owed
Hi, need some advice pls. I was self employed from Apr 23 to Sep 23 and have worked out I will need to pay roughly £1300 in tax and NI. I know I won't be able to afford this so am thinking about asking for it to be collected through my PAYE as I've been employed since Sep 2023. I seem to meet all the criteria. What I'm…
Help me work out a plan for my mum's retirement
Hello - I need advice from you knowledgeable people especially as I am not based in the UK! I am helping my mum to financially plan. Currently she is 64 years old. She does not have any assets or savings - she rents an apartment and receives housing benefit which won't be sustainable into her future. She just inherited…
£6000 in savings
When is the £6K threshold going to go up with inflation? It’s been six grand for a long time look how much rents have gone up. we have only £5000 in savings but when UC comes in the same sort of time as wages for the month it takes us over for a short time until the £2500 rent is due. will this be a problem should we…
Universal credit new rates
Hi, could anyone help me out with what date the new UC rates are paid? My next payment is due 14th May and from what I had read thought I would be seeing the new rates, but have also seen people say the 15th is the first date.
Just moved from Tax Credit to UC, self employed
Oh dear UC . The synic in me thinks this is a ploy to kill off self employment as a form of employment, bit harsh but I hope I've got this wrong So I recently received £120 week tax credit, with disability element Income of around £750 month after expenses Initial meetings with work coach/UC is still foggy they don't seem…
Universal credit confusion please help !
Hoping someone can help as can’t find any proper info online, spoke to CAB and I’ve had two different answers also. Need to migrate to UC Couple living together 1st adult - working 18 hours earning £923 per month - enhanced pip (currently on dialysis) 2nd adult - not working will get carers element added due to caring for…
Widowed parents backpayments and receiving benefits
Hello. Sorry another query on this but I can't find out any information. I have read that if you do qualify for backdated payments (you weren't married to your partner but now the law has changed) and you receive benefits, then they can deduct that from the backdated payments. Does anyone know if that is if you were in…
Son living in Spain NHS eligibility
Hi, my 24 year old son has moved to Spain, he,s in a civil partnership with his girlfriend who is a spanish resident and he has just been granted residency about 3 months ago. Can anyone advise about his continuing eligibility to NHS healthcare/eligibility for spanish healthcare. I,m worried he may lose the NHS and also…

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MSE News

Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payments this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.
Which NatWest and RBS branches are closing from 2025? Here's the full list – and banking alternatives
NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which are both part of the NatWest Group, will shut at least 108 of their bank branches in 2025 and beyond, after the Group announced a further 52 NatWest closures.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
Winter Fuel Payments will be reinstated to all pensioners in England and Wales this winter – but will be clawed back automatically from those earning over £35,000 a year, the Government has confirmed. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis.
Car finance mis-selling update: regulator prepares for compensation scheme – and warns against using claims firms
Payouts for mis-sold car finance could be another step closer as the financial regulator has set out the factors it will consider if it were to introduce an industry-wide redress scheme – though we won't know more about how this will work until after a key Supreme Court decision expected in July. In the meantime, the regulator has warned that you DON'T need to sign up with a claims firm to be included.
Winter Fuel Payments to be extended to pensioners earning £35,000 or less – here's what we know so far
Winter Fuel Payments will be extended to all pensioners with incomes of £35,000 or less this winter, the Government has confirmed. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up.
Winter Fuel Payments extension confirmed for this winter – watch Martin Lewis' instant response and his message to the Chancellor
Winter Fuel Payments will be extended to more pensioners this winter – though not to everyone – the Chancellor has today confirmed. However, exact details of who will now qualify still remain scant. Watch MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis give his instant response, as well as his key message for Rachel Reeves.
Nationwide Fairer Share: Free £100 bonus confirmed for 2025 – here's who will get it
If you bank with Nationwide, you could get a free £100 paid into your account in June or July as part of the building society's 'Fairer Share' scheme. The bonus will be paid to millions of its current account customers who also have savings or a mortgage with it.
Forced onto a prepay energy meter? You may be due money back as 10,000s to be compensated
If you had an energy prepayment meter forcibly installed or your smart meter was remotely switched to prepay mode without your permission, you could be entitled to compensation of up to £1,000 and may even be eligible to have your energy debts written off.

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Benefits & tax credits

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