Benefits and Entitlements for Older People

You could receive £25 extra a week if you’re getting certain benefits available during the winter when the temperature is zero or below for more than seven days.

Check the GOV.UK website to see if you’re eligible for cold weather payments 

Council Tax Support, also known as Council Tax Reduction is a benefit to help people on a low income or claim certain benefits to pay their Council Tax bill. 

There is no set amount of Council Tax Support. What you get depends on your circumstances and where you live.

Many Local Authorities are offering a benefit entitlement assessment for those contacting them when they are having difficulty paying Council tax. Each local council is responsible for operating its own Council Tax Support scheme so the amounts of support given across the country may vary.

Wherever you live, the amount of Council Tax Support you get depends on many factors, including:

• which benefits you receive
• your age
• your income
• your savings
• who you live with
• how much Council Tax you pay.

You may get more Council Tax Support if you receive a disability or carers benefit.

As well as Council Tax Support, there are other exemptions and discounts that might apply to you. You might be able to get money off your Council Tax bill if:

• you live alone
• you're a carer 
• you or someone you live with has a severe mental impairment, such as dementia or a learning difficulty
• there are adaptations in your home that make it suitable for someone with a disability who lives there
• you have another person living with you who isn't your partner and is on a low income
• your property is empty - for example, you've gone into hospital or moved into a care home
• where you're living isn't your main residence
• there's an issue, such as a flood, which may be covered by a discretionary discount offered by some councils.

You can apply for a Council Tax Reduction on the GOV.UK website

There is a Government campaign running from September 2022 called Help for Households. There is lots of information about support available to help you pay your bills. There is also information on discounts & offers and much more.  

In the winter months, pensioners can get between £100 and £300 to help pay heating bills.

This winter, they will also receive an extra one-off £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment, which will be paid as an automatic top-up to the Winter Fuel Payment. 

Check the GOV.UK website to see if you’re eligible for the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment

If you were born on or before 26 September 1955, you may be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment giving you between £100 - £300 each winter to help cover the cost of your heating bills. You should receive this payment automatically. 

If you haven't claimed for a Winter Fuel Payment before, and you’re claiming your State Pension or other benefits such as Pension Credit, contact the Winter Fuel Payment helpline to make a claim on 0800 731 0160 (Monday to Friday 9am-5pm excluding bank holidays). 

Or in Wales, there was a Winter Fuel Support Scheme which closed early 2023. If you click the link you will be able to contact your Local authority. 

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a benefit for people who can't work because of an illness or disability. 

The new style ESA is not means-tested. You might be eligible to claim new style ESA if you:

• have a limited capability for work because of an illness or disability
• are under State Pension age
• have made enough National Insurance contributions
• aren’t getting Statutory Sick Pay
• aren’t working.

You can claim new style ESA and Universal Credit at the same time - but if you do, your Universal Credit amount will be reduced by the amount of ESA you get. 

To make a claim, for yourself or on behalf of someone else, you have to submit a form. You can do this in two ways:

• call Jobcentre Plus on 0800 055 6688 - they will ask questions and can fill in the form for you
• apply online on the Gov.uk website

If you're over the State Pension age and have a low income, Pension Credit can help you. It comes in two parts - Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit. You might be eligible for one, or both. 

Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level:

• £182.60 if you're single
• £278.70 if you're in a couple

Or, if your weekly income is higher than these thresholds, you could still claim Guarantee Credit if you meet one of the following criteria:

• you have a severe disability
• you're a carer
• you have to pay housing costs, such as a mortgage

Savings Credit is extra money if you've got some savings or if your income is higher than the basic State Pension. There isn’t a savings limit for Pension Credit. However, if you have over £10,000 in savings, this will affect how much you receive. It's available to people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. You could get up to:

• £14.48 extra per week if you're single
• £16.20 extra per week if you're in a couple

If you're on a low income or you're out of work, you might be able to claim Universal Credit to help you cover your living costs.

Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit that's paid monthly. The main purpose is to help you if you're on a low income or out of work.

It was rolled out in December 2018 and will eventually replace the following 'legacy' benefits:

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit

If you currently receive any of these benefits, you'll continue to get them as normal for the time being. Your local Jobcentre Plus or Tax Credit Office will let you know when your benefit is due to be replaced by Universal Credit.

If you're making a new claim, you'll usually need to claim Universal Credit instead of any of the above legacy benefits.

The basic standard Universal Credit allowances are:

• single person: £334.91 per month 
• couples: £525.72 per month 

On top of the above standard allowance, you might be entitled to extra money if you have:

• housing costs
• a health condition or disability
• caring responsibilities for a disabled person
• dependent children
• childcare costs.

To claim for Universal Credit, please visit the Gov.uk website.

You need to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which helps with extra living costs if you have both:

• a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability

• difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition

If you currently get PIP, you’ll be automatically moved to ADP by summer 2024.

When the move begins, you’ll get letters from DWP and Social Security Scotland. 

Information from the Scottish Government on ADP and how to claim it >

Attendance Allowance helps with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough that you need someone to help look after you. 

There are two different rates available and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability.

You could get £61.85 or £92.40 a week to help with personal support if you’re both:

• physically or mentally disabled
• State Pension age or older

If you receive Attendance Allowance, other benefits you can get will increase. This list from GOV.UK explains this. 

There is also guidance on how to apply for Attendance Allowance >

You may be able to top up a low salary by claiming Universal Credit.

You also might be able to get an Access to Work grant to pay for:

• special equipment, adaptations or support worker services to help you do things like answer the phone or go to meetings
• help getting to and from work
• mental health support
• communication support at a job interview (for example, a British Sign Language interpreter or a lipspeaker)

Travel expenditure can be a big chunk of your monthly spending, but there are plenty of ways to cut travel costs. Read more on our reducing transport costs webpage.

If you’re disabled you might also be eligible to apply for the following benefits:

• exemption from paying vehicle tax
• parking benefits - Blue Badge
• disabled persons bus pass or Disabled Persons Railcard
• help to buy or lease a car from The Motability Scheme

If you’ve been assessed by your local council as needing care and support services, you can get:

• Direct payments - allowing you to buy in and arrange help yourself instead of getting it directly from social services
• Disabled Facilities Grants - which is money towards the costs of home adaptations to enable you to continue living there

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help with extra living costs if you have both:

• a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability

• difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition

You can get PIP even if you’re working, have savings or are getting most other benefits.

What you're eligible to receive depends on how difficult it is for you to do certain things, like getting around, dressing yourself and general daily tasks. PIP has two parts - daily living (if you need help with everyday tasks) and mobility (if you need help getting around). You might be able to claim one or both components.

PIP eligibility isn't based on your National Insurance contributions and it isn't means-tested, so how much you earn or how much you have in saving doesn't make a difference.

If you’re awarded PIP before you get to State Pension age, you’ll continue to receive it afterward, too. You can still make a claim if you’re working.

There are details on the GOV.UK website on how to claim PIP >

If you're on a low income or you're out of work, you might be able to claim Universal Credit to help you cover your living costs.

Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit that's paid monthly. The main purpose is to help you if you're on a low income or out of work.

It was rolled out in December 2018 and will eventually replace the following 'legacy' benefits:

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit

If you currently receive any of these benefits, you'll continue to get them as normal for the time being. Your local Jobcentre Plus or Tax Credit Office will let you know when your benefit is due to be replaced by Universal Credit.

If you're making a new claim, you'll usually need to claim Universal Credit instead of any of the above legacy benefits.

The basic standard Universal Credit allowances are:

• single person: £334.91 per month 
• couples: £525.72 per month 

On top of the above standard allowance, you might be entitled to extra money if you have:

• housing costs
• a health condition or disability
• caring responsibilities for a disabled person
• dependent children
• childcare costs.

To claim for Universal Credit, please visit the Gov.uk website.

You could get £69.70 a week if you care for someone at least 35 hours a week and they get certain benefits.

There are a few rules when applying for Carers Allowance:

• You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for

• You do not get paid extra if you care for more than one person.

• If someone else also cares for the same person as you, only one of you can claim Carer’s Allowance.

You might be able to get other benefits if you are eligible. For each week you get Carer’s Allowance you’ll automatically get National Insurance credits.

You may also be able to apply for:

• support from your local council
• a Council Tax Reduction
• Universal Credit if you’re on a low income or out of work
• Pension Credit if you’re over the working age
• grants and bursaries to help pay for courses and training
• Income Support (if you get the severe disability premium and you’re on a low income)
• income-based Employment and Support Allowance (if you get a severe disability premium and you cannot work)

If you live in Scotland and get Carer’s Allowance, you may also get Carer’s Allowance Supplement.

For more information and how to apply, visit the GOV.UK Carers Allowance page >

You might qualify for help with the below NHS costs if you and/or your partner receive any of the following benefits:

• the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit (in some circumstances)
• Universal Credit (if you meet certain criteria).

If you don’t receive any of these benefits but have a low income, you may still get some help with health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Call Help with Health Costs on 0300 330 1343 to receive a form or pick one up from your dentist, optician or hospital.

Everyone aged over 60 gets free prescriptions. If you're under 60 you can save money on prescriptions by buying prescription prepayment certificates from the NHS for three months or 12 months. This covers all your prescriptions for that period, regardless of how many you need. 

But, depending on your circumstances, you could also get help with the following:

• NHS dental treatment
• free NHS eye sight tests
• the cost of glasses or contact lenses
• NHS wigs and fabric supports
• travel costs to receive NHS treatment.

You may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner died in the last 21 months.

You must claim within three months of your partner’s death to get the full amount. You can claim up to 21 months after their death but you’ll get less money. 

You may still be able to claim Bereavement Support Payment if your husband, wife or civil partner’s cause of death was confirmed more than 21 months after the death. Call the Bereavement Service helpline.

After your first payment (of up to £2,500), you'll receive a further 18 monthly payments. There are two rates available at a higher or lower rate. 

You can claim Bereavement Support Payment if:

• the bereavement happened on or after 6 April 2017
• you were under State Pension age when your spouse or civil partner died
• your partner paid National Insurance Contributions for at least 25 weeks in any single tax year since 1975
• you were living in the UK at the time of the death (or another country that pays bereavement benefits).

You can claim for Bereavement Support Payment online > 

Specified Adult Childcare credits were introduced in April 2011. This meant that grandparents, and other family members, may be entitled to National Insurance credits if they care for a child in their family under 12 while their main parent or carer is working. If you’re eligible due to childcare responsibilities, you will receive a Class 3 National Insurance credit for each week or part of the week you care for the child.

These credits help to build your entitlement to the State Pension.

For more information, visit the GOV.UK website >

You can claim Child Benefit if you're responsible for bringing up a child who is aged under 16, or under 20 if they are still in approved education or training.

There’s no limit to how many children you can claim for, but only one person can claim for a child (so if you're in a couple, only apply once). 

By claiming Child Benefit, you can get:

• an allowance paid to you for each child every 4 weeks
• National Insurance credits which count towards your State Pension.

If you choose not to get Child Benefit payments, you should still fill in and send off the claim form to get the other advantages.

Here's more information on the GOV.UK website on how to claim.