I’m a benefits expert – the four most common questions answered including rules for workers
IT can be difficult to get your head around the benefits system if you’ve just started claiming – or even if you have for a while.
Knowing how, when and what will affect your benefit payments is often puzzling – and you may be left with more questions than answers.
That’s why The Sun has picked the brains of charity Turn2Us benefits expert Anna Stevenson to help you get the advice you need.
She’s part of The Sun’s Squeeze Team panel of experts, here to help you through a crippling cost of living crisis.
Whether you’re worried about paying your bills, need to clear debts or don’t know what to do with your pension, email us at Squeezeteam@thesun.co.uk.
Anna has answered the top four most common questions she sees land in the charity’s inbox, and from households calling in for help and advice.
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Can I get benefits if I’m working?
Many people assume you can’t get benefits if they’re working.
But you may be eligible to claim extra help, even if you have a job, Anna said.
There are a number of benefits to look out for.
For example, you can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance if you work less than 16 hours a week on average.
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Those up to 24 years old get a maximum of £59.20, while those 25 and over can claim up to £74.70.
While you can claim Universal Credit to top your wage up if you’re on a low income.
How much you can claim varies, but everyone who is accepted on Universal Credit will be entitled to a Standard Allowance, here’s how much you can get:
- Single and aged under 25: £265.31 per month
- Single and aged 25 or over: £334.91 per month
- Joint claimants both aged under 25: £416.45 per month
- Joint claimants where one is aged 25 or over: £525.72 per month
Qualifying criteria for each benefit varies, Anna said.
“To quickly and easily check what benefits you might be entitled to, you can use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator,” she said.
Can I get benefits if I own the house I live in?
Even if you own your own home, you might be struggling to make ends meet.
You might be getting worried over rocketing mortgage bills, as homeowners face paying thousands of pounds more on their home loans as experts warn of interest rates hiking to 6%.
But you can get extra support, Anna said.
“If you or your partner own the home you live in, you could still be eligible to claim benefits.
“This includes if you live in a property you’re buying through shared ownership.”
If you’re already struggling to pay your mortgage and you’re on certain benefits, Anna said you could look into the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme.
You’ll be eligible for help on paying the interest on up to £200,000 of your loan if you claim benefits including Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income support.
The size of the loan you will get is based on an interest rate of 2.09%.
“It is important to note that this is a loan, and you will be required to pay it back with a small amount of interest,” Anna said.
The interest added to the loan can go up or down, but the rate will not change more than twice a year. The current rate is 1.4%.
If you want to pay the loan back more quickly, you can also make voluntary repayments.
The minimum voluntary repayment is £100 or the outstanding balance if it’s less than £100.
What help can I get to pay for childcare?
Bringing up children can be costly, especially as the price of food and essentials – like baby grub and nappies – is rising under rocketing inflation, which currently stands at 9.9%.
If you have kids and you’re on benefits, you can get extra help, Anna said – but figuring out what is on offer can be confusing.
“There are lots of different schemes to help with childcare, and which one to claim can be a bit of a puzzle,” she said.
There are three main help schemes you can apply to, but be warned – you can only claim one of these three schemes, so make sure you’ve done your homework and know which is right for you.
To do this, Anna said you can use the Turn2us benefits calculator to check what help you can get through Universal Credit or Tax Credits.
You can use the gov.uk childcare calculator to check what help you can get through tax free childcare.
Here are the three main help schemes that can help hard-up households out.
Tax credits
If you are already getting tax credits, you may be able to get help with your childcare costs through your tax credits.
Tax credits are a type of state benefit.
There are two tax credits: working tax credit and child tax credit.
Working tax credits are for those who are earning a low income from work.
Child tax credits are for those with kids who may or may not be working.
“You can get up to 70% of what you pay in childcare, as long as your childcare costs are not more than £175 per week for one child and £300 per week for two or more children,” Anna said.
To apply for Tax Credits you need to call HMRC’s Tax Credits helpline on 0345 300 3900.
Calls cost 45p a minute from mobiles or 12p a minute from landlines, unless you have free minutes as part of your contract.
In most cases, you will have to make a claim for Universal Credit because Tax Credits are being replaced.
Universal Credit
If you claim Universal Credit, you could claim up to 85% off your childcare costs every month.
It’s worth £648 for one child and up to £1,108 for two children.
To be eligible, you (and your partner if you live with them) will usually need to either:
- Be working – it does not matter how many hours you or your partner work
- Have a job offer
Can I claim benefits if I am a carer?
Yes – you can, if you hit the eligibility criteria, Anna said.
“If you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week, and the person you care for is getting a benefit because of their disability, you could be eligible to claim carer’s allowance,” Anna said.
Under carers allowance, those who care for someone on certain benefits for at least 35 hours a week can get paid £69.70 a week (£3,624.40 a year).
You can choose to be paid weekly in advance or every four weeks, with the cash going straight into a bank account.
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As the carer, you don’t have to be related to or live with the person you care for but they will need to get certain benefits, such as the daily living component of personal independent payment or disability living allowance.
See Gov.uk for a full list of eligible benefits.