Welfare benefits advice
Our Customer Income Advice team are here to help; we can offer you specialist advice to help you claim the benefits and tax credits you are entitled to. We can guide you through the benefit claims process, contact government and council departments on your behalf and help you challenge decisions if they are wrong.
Over the past few years, there have been lots of changes to the benefits system, so we’ve put together some information to help you understand what impact it may have on you.
Pension Credit
Pension Credit provides extra financial support if you’re over State Pension age (so you must have been born on or before 22 Sep 1958), and on a low income. It can also help with housing costs, such as ground rent or service charges.
You can apply up to four months before reaching State Pension age. If applying after, your claim can be backdated by up to three months if you were eligible during that period.
Find out if you’re eligible for receiving pension credit and/or winter fuel payments by completing one of our eligibility calculators:
For full details on how to apply for pension credit online, by phone, or by post, visit the Government website here 
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Universal Credit
Universal Credit will gradually replace working age benefits and tax credits, including Housing Benefit. It’s being rolled out gradually across the country and the government aims to have it fully rolled out by 2026.
Find out if you’re eligible for Universal Credit.
Benefits checker
Visit the Government website to find out what benefits and financial support you may be entitled to.
The benefit cap
The benefit cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit you can get. It applies to most people aged 16 or over who haven’t reached State Pension age.
Benefits cap calculator – use this to find out if there’s a limit to the total benefits you can get.
The rules are different if you’re claiming Universal Credit. If you receive Universal Credit and the benefit cap applies to you, then your Universal Credit will be reduced until you reach the level of the benefit cap.
The bedroom tax
Under occupancy applies to residents living in housing association or council properties. It means you’re seen to have one or more ‘spare’ bedrooms and your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit might be reduced. This is also commonly known as ‘Bedroom Tax’.
If you have more bedrooms than you need, your Housing Benefit could be reduced and might not cover all your rent.
Your Housing Benefit could be lowered by:
• 14% if you have one spare bedroom
• 25% if you have two or more spare bedrooms
Example
Your eligible rent is £100 per week, but you have 1 spare bedroom. That means your eligible rent is reduced by 14%, to £86 per week. Your Housing Benefit will be calculated using that figure.
Use this bedroom tax calculator to work out how many bedrooms you’d be considered to need.