STRUGGLING households on Universal Credit and other benefits can top up their income with these 13 freebies and benefits and it could cash you an extra £10,500.
From cost of living payments, to help cover childcare costs, we’ve rounded up the freebies you can snap up in September.
The exact amount of help you can get varies depending on your circumstances and where you live.
But if you qualify for all the help you could receive £10,500. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Household Support Fund (HSF) provides financial help to struggling households and has been extended several times since it was introduced by the Government in 2021.
The money is distributed from a pot worth £421 million, which is given out to local councils to distribute to those most in need in their area.
This means the support available varies across the country and what you can get depends on where you live.
Depending on where you live money could be paid out as a direct cash transfer, shopping vouchers or by other means to help with bills and other expenses.
For example, those living in the East Riding of Yorkshire can claim for payments of £200, while Medway Council in Kent, South-East England, is offering thousands of households supermarket vouchers worth up to £225.
You can check what your local council is offering on their website.
But you will need to be quick. The latest round of funding closes on September 30 2024 and the government has not confirmed if it will be extended.
In some cases schemes may have already closed if funds have run out, so check with your local council.
Parents on Universal Credit can now receive money to cover up to 85% of childcare costs up front.
The amount available is £1,014.63 for one child or £1,739.37 for two or more children.
To be eligible you and your partner will need to be working or have a job offer – but it does not matter how many hours you work.
To apply for money back on your childcare, you will have to go through your local council.
You can find out what authority area you fall under by using the Government’s locator tool.
Thousands of low-income households could be eligible for discounted broadband and mobile phone contracts, with huge savings up for grabs.
A number of providers offer special tariffs for those receiving qualifying benefits.
These tariffs, known as “social tariffs”, are available to households on certain benefits, including Universal Credit, and usually cost substantially less than a firm’s standard broadband packages.
Tariffs begin at £12 for mobile contracts and £12.50 for broadband contracts.
BT’s Home Essentials social package starts from £15 a month, while standard tariffs begin at £33.99 – a saving of £227.88 a year.
Those born before 23 September 1958 can get a winter fuel payment between £100 and £300.
You’ll be eligible if you or your partner receive benefits including Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The benefit used to be awarded universally, but eligibility was reduced by the Labour government.
Most payments are made automatically, but if you need to make a claim you can do so by post from 16 September, or by phone from 10 October.
A number of energy firms offer struggling customers grants to cover the cost of their bills, including British Gas, Scottish Power and EDF.
They can be worth up to a whopping £2,000, so are well worth looking into.
Eligibility criteria vary depending on who your provider is, but help could be available if you’ve fallen into debt, have a low income or receive benefits.
Make sure you check with your supplier what help might be available.
New or expectant parents on certain benefits can get free cash help to cover the cost of having a child.
It’s called the Sure Start maternity grant and you usually qualify if you’re pregnant with your first child or already have children and are expecting a multiple birth (such as twins).
You or your partner will need to be on one of the following benefits to qualify:
You may also qualify if you are receiving support for a Mortgage Interest loan.
You can make a claim for a Sure Start grant by filling in the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form.
Help to Save is a scheme available to those on Universal Credit and offers a 50% bonus on any savings you make.
You can deposit up to £50 into a Help to Save account every month for up to four years.
So, if you added the maximum amount each month for 48 months, you would end up with a £1,200 bonus.
But you can still get some of the bonus even by saving a small amount – check out how it works.
New or expectant parents can get up to £442 worth of free food a year through the Healthy Start scheme.
Anyone more than 10 weeks pregnant or with a child under four years old and on benefits can apply online or via email.
If eligible, you are issued with a card which you can use in a number of supermarkets and retailers.
But you can only use the card to buy certain products such as plain liquid cow’s milk, fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables and tinned pulses.
The full list of benefits qualifying you for the scheme is:
You can also apply for the scheme if you are under 18 and not on any benefits.
You can find out more about the scheme here.
Council tax is a priority bill, which means if you don’t pay you can end up in court.
But you can get money off the bill and in some cases have it wiped completely.
Council Tax Support is a scheme where those on a low income or benefits can get money off council tax.
The discount you get varies depending on your circumstances and where you live.
That said, if you do get it wiped completely it can be worth thousands of pounds, with the average Band D council tax bill currently standing at £2,171 a year.
Check out what help you can get by using the Government’s online tool at gov.uk/apply-for-council-tax-discount.
People on certain benefits and meeting specific criteria can get free NHS prescriptions.
You can use the Government’s eligibility checker tool on its website to find out what you might be in line for.
NHS prescriptions currently cost £9.90 in the UK, so, based on one prescription per month, that’s a £118.80 saving over the year.
You might also get help covering prescriptions, dental and eye care costs through the NHS Low Income scheme.
You can even get free wigs and help covering the cost of travel to health appointments.
How much you’ll be entitled to depends on financial factors including your outgoings and the amount of savings you have in the bank.
The NHS has outlined more information on how to go about claiming on its website.
Universal Credit claimants can get 50% off their bus and train fares with the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount.
However, it’s only available if you’re unemployed but looking for work and are on Jobseeker’s Allowance.
You’ll also need to have claimed Universal Credit for three to nine months if you’re aged between 18 and 24 years old.
For those aged 25 or older, you must have claimed the benefit for three to 12 months to be eligible for a discount.
There’s no guarantee you’ll get the discount, though – it’s up to your local JobCentre Plus branch to decide.
Meanwhile, there’s the Flexible Support Fund, which is a pot of money that has been set aside by the Government to help people with the costs of getting a job.
The fund is managed by local job centres and can be used to cover the following costs of job hunting:
You can find out more about how to apply in our guide.
If you live in England and have children at a state school in reception, year 1 or year 2, they are entitled to free school meals regardless of your household income.
However, if you’re claiming certain benefits, including Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Child Tax Credits, you can get free school meals for older children too.
How you apply depends on your personal circumstances – some people may be able to via their local council, while others might have to speak to their children’s school directly.
You can type your postcode into the government’s website to see who to contact and how to apply at gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.
The exact amount you’ll get depends on where you live, but the help is worth around £460 on average per child per year, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
If you’re eligible for free school meals, you may also get similar help during school holidays like Christmas and Easter, as well as half terms.
If you’re on a low income, it’s worth asking your water provider about social tariffs, which can reduce your bill by hundreds of pounds.
Some companies offer a percentage discount, while others offer a fixed rate. If you get money off your council tax bill, you might qualify for an even lower amount.
The amounts you can get off vary, but someone got more than £1,000 refunded through the scheme.
To qualify, you need to receive certain income-related benefits, including Pension Credit, and have a water meter installed.
You’ll also need to show that you need a lot of water and that this is essential for your family.
THERE are several ways you can get discounts and reductions on your council tax bill.
In some cases, you can even get the bill completely wiped with a council tax reduction.
Factors such as your household income, whether you have children, and if you receive any benefits, will influence what you get.
To apply, visit https://www.gov.uk/apply-council-tax-reduction.
You’ll need your National Insurance number, bank statements, a recent payslip or letter from the Jobcentre, and a passport or driving licence when filling out the details.
Below, we reveal all the ways you can get discounts or a reduction on your bill:
Single person discount
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.
Retirees
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.
Low-income households
If you are on a low income or receiving benefits, you could be 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.
But one thing to remember is if you are struggling you should contact your council as early as you can.
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