Check what benefits you can get
This advice applies to England. See advice for See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland, See advice for Wales
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If youre struggling with the cost of living, you should check if you can claim benefits or increase your current benefits.
You might be able to claim certain benefits even if you work, have savings or own a home.
To check what benefits you can get, you can:
use a benefits calculator - for a detailed check based on your personal situation
read our general benefits advice - to quickly check if you could get Universal Credit and other benefits
Why its worth checking what you can get
Lots of people miss out on benefits theyre entitled to - so its worth checking what you can get.
Claiming benefits also means you can get access to other financial help like cost of living payments and discounts on energy and transport.
Use a benefits calculator
Benefits calculators can tell you what benefits you might get and how much money you could get in benefits.
To get a more accurate answer, youll need information about your savings, income, pension, childcare payments and any existing benefits for you and your partner, if you have one.
Check if you can use a calculator
None of the calculators can give you an accurate answer if you're:
a student
on strike
living outside the UK
living permanently in residential care or a nursing home
in prison
This is because its more complex to work out what benefits you can get if you're in one of these situations. If you want to check if you can get benefits, you can talk to an adviser.
If youre under 18
There's only one benefits calculator you can use if you're under 18.
If you're not a British or Irish citizen
Theres only one tool you can use - its called Support for migrant families.
The tool can tell you if youre eligible for benefits and what help you can get from social services and immigration advisers.
You can only use the Support for migrant families tool if you have 'no recourse to public funds' - this means you can't claim most benefits. The tool is particularly useful if you're responsible for children under 18.
Your results will be more accurate if you know your immigration status.
If you want a detailed benefits check
You can use either the Policy in Practice or the Entitledto benefits calculator for a detailed overview of what you might get.
Use the Policy in Practice benefits calculator.
Use the Entitledto benefits calculator.
If you want a quick overview of what help you can get
You can use the Turn2us benefits calculator for a quick idea of what benefits and other financial help you might be eligible for.
Use the Turn2us benefits calculator.
Check if you can get Universal Credit
Universal Credit is the main benefit for most people of working age. You should check if you can get Universal Credit if:
youre over 18 and under State Pension age - you can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK
you have less than 16,000 in savings or other investments
It's worth checking if you can get Universal Credit, even if you work full-time. Theres no set amount of income where you stop being eligible for Universal Credit - it depends on your situation.
If youre already claiming benefits, talk to an adviser first to check if youre better off on Universal Credit.
Check if you can get Universal Credit.
Getting Universal Credit if youre sick or disabled
If you find it difficult to work because youre sick or disabled, you might get more Universal Credit or not have to look for work.
Check how Universal Credit works for people who are sick or disabled.
Check what other benefits you might get
You might be entitled to other benefits depending on your situation - like your age, if youre disabled or if you have a child.
You might be able to get more than one benefit - for example, disability benefits and Universal Credit.
If you pay council tax, you should check if you can pay less council tax.
If youre sick or disabled
You might be able to get disability benefits if:
you have difficulty with everyday tasks or getting around
you cant work because youre sick or disabled
It usually doesnt matter how much you earn, if you have savings or how much National Insurance youve paid.
If youre over State Pension age
You can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK.
If youve been paying National Insurance contributions, you might get a State Pension. Check how State Pensions work.
If youre sick or disabled
You might be able to get Attendance Allowance if you have difficulty with everyday tasks and getting around.
Check if you can get Attendance Allowance.
If you have a low amount of income and savings
You might be able to get Pension Credit - even if you own your own home or have a small private pension.
Claiming Pension Credit can give you access to other help like money off council tax, healthcare and energy.
Check if you can claim Pension Credit.
If youre struggling to pay your rent, you should check if you can claim Housing Benefit.
If youre 80 or over
If you dont get a basic State Pension or your basic State Pension is less than 85 a week, you could get extra money - this is called a category D pension.
You can only get a category D pension if youve lived in the UK for at least 10 years of the past 20 years.
If youre looking for full-time work
You might get new style Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) if:
youre over 18 and under State Pension age
you've worked and paid Class 1 National Insurance in the last 2 to 3 years
You can claim new style JSA on its own or with Universal Credit.
If you're a carer
If you care for a disabled person for at least 35 hours a week, check if you can get Carers Allowance.
If you cant get Carers Allowance
You might be able to get Carers Credit if you care for a disabled person for at least 20 hours a week. Check if you can get Carers Credit on GOV.UK.
If youre having a baby
If you work and youre having a child, you might be able to get:
maternity pay, if youre pregnant or you gave birth recently - check if you can get maternity benefits
adoption pay, if youre adopting - check if you can get adoption pay on GOV.UK
paternity pay, if your partners pregnant or adopting -check if you can get paternity pay on GOV.UK
If you're responsible for a child
You might get Child Benefit if youre responsible for:
a child under 16
a child under 20 who is still in education or training
It doesnt matter if you work or have savings and investments.
Check if you can get Child Benefit.
If youre responsible for a child whose parents have died
You might get Guardians Allowance if you already get Child Benefit.
If you're 16 or 17
If youre finding things difficult, you should contact your local councils child services. They might be able to give you money to afford essentials and give you access to counselling and care. You can find your local council on GOV.UK.
You might also be able to get Universal Credit if:
youre a carer
youre a single parent or youre the only person responsible for children in your household
you cant work or have difficulty working because youre sick or disabled
youre not in contact with your parents and youre not in care
If youre responsible for a child under 18, you might be able to get Child Benefit.
You should talk to an adviser about what benefits you can get.
If your partner died recently
You might be able to get bereavement benefits, depending on when your partner died.
If youre in the armed forces or a veteran
Check what other financial help you can get
If you dont have enough money to live on, you might be able to get extra money from the government, your local council or a charity.
Check what help you can get with the cost of living.
If youre still not sure what you can get
Help us improve our website
Take 5 minutes to tell us if you found what you needed on our website. Your feedback will help us give millions of people the information they need.
Page last reviewed on 16 February 2023