Yahoo News New benefits calculator to see how much you're owed as £23billion unclaimed
A new benefits calculator from the MoneySavingExpert site allows you to see how much you could be missing out on claiming as £23 billion is said to have been unclaimed. The benefits that you could be entitled to include Universal Credit, pensions and a council tax reduction, amongst others, and they're not all just for those who are out of work.
Support has been put in place by the government 'for those who are earning but still struggling', according to the MoneySavingExpert. They said that there's also additional support in place for people with children, carers or a long-term health condition. The handy new calculator takes just 10 minutes to use but a quick check could let you know what you are entitled to.
The MoneySavingExpert site said: "This Benefits Calculator is your first quick check to see if you're eligible for support. The calculator will work out if you can claim any financial help based on your income and savings, and will also flag up some (but not all) of the relevant non-means-tested benefits, based on the information you provide about your circumstances."
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As a word of warning though, the information you put into the calculator needs to be accurate otherwise the eligibility of your claims may not match up with what benefits you are really entitled to.
You can access the calculator here and it is said to be a tool to help you investigate further depending on the outcome, rather than being taken as verbatim.
Alternatively, the gov.uk website also has its own benefits calculator here, but again the rule applies that the best way to make sure you get an accurate result is to include accurate information:
You can find the calculators here:
What you'll need to use the calculator
You’ll need accurate information about your:
savings
income, including your partner’s (from payslips, for example)
existing benefits and pensions (including anyone living with you)
outgoings (such as rent, mortgage, childcare payments)
Council Tax bill
Who can't use the calculator?
You cannot use the calculators if you’re under 18, and they will not give accurate results if you’re:
not a British or Irish citizen
on strike
living permanently in residential care or a nursing home
What if the calculator says you're eligible for support?
If you input accurate information and find out that you are eligible for support then it's time to investigate how to apply for the benefits you could be currently missing out on.
There are some means-tested benefits which you can read more about on the gov.uk website here. There are also handy tools to help support you with guides on the applications on the MoneySavingExpert website.
There are also some non-means tested benefits which you may be eligible for, including if you have caring responsibilities, a long-term health condition or children - you can find out more here.
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