People on Universal Credit being handed six freebies and discounts worth £6,031

People on Universal Credit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are due six freebies and discounts in the Cost of Living crisis. Those on Universal Credit qualify for a whole raft of freebies and discounts which could leave them thousands of pounds better off.

The exact extra help you can get from claiming Universal Credit varies depending on your circumstances. If you live with your partner (whether married or not), both of your incomes and savings will be taken into account when you apply. And, if you're eligible, your Universal Credit will be paid into a single bank account.

Because Universal Credit is tailored to your circumstances, there's no hard 'cut-off' point for eligibility. A single person living with their parents may only be able to earn up to £18,000 before they stop being eligible, whereas a single parent of two children, renting in an expensive city, may be able to earn up to £50,000 before they are no longer eligible.

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Free childcare - £1,739

Help could be available if you're currently working on a low income and don't meet the criteria for government-funded childcare or it doesn't cover your full childcare bill. You may be able to claim extra through Universal Credit. You can also claim up to 85 per cent of your childcare cost through Universal Credit. However, you must get your childcare approved through a registered provider.

This money can be claimed back regardless of how many hours you work with a maximum of £1,014 for one child and £1,739 for two or more children. In order to make the claim, you will need to provide evidence of your costs, such as a letter from your childcare provider.

Claims can also be made for up to three months in advance. Yet the actual payment may only be made after childcare is provided unless you're entering work or are increasing your hours.

Sure Start grant - £500

Sure Start Maternity Grant is a one-off payment of £500 to help you with the costs of a new child. You usually only get it if you have no other children aged under 16. You can only get it if you are on a “qualifying benefit” which covers the date when you make your claim. The benefits are:

• Income Support

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.

• Child Tax Credit which includes a child element or a disabled child element.

• Working Tax Credit with a disability or severe disability element.

• Pension Credit.

• Universal Credit.

If you are not entitled to a qualifying award of Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit before your child arrives, it is worth checking whether you may become eligible after the birth, because your entitlement to these benefits will change when you have a child.

Free travel and childcare when looking for work - £150

The Restart Scheme is designed to help those who've been on Universal Credit for more than a year. Launched last year, it can help cover the costs associated with finding a job, including travel, childcare and other expenses. If you're on the scheme ask the provider or your work coach about how to claim.

The fund is managed by local job centres and can be used to cover the following costs associated with job hunting:

• Training for a job, up to £150

• Travel to interviews

• Childcare

• Tools for work

• Cost of medical evidence required by a disabled person

• Clothing and uniforms to start work

• Support for single parents in financial emergencies in the first 26 weeks of starting a job.

Help to save - £1,200

Only Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit recipients are eligible for the Help to Save savings accounts, which technically offer better rates than any high street accounts. This government-backed saving scheme allows people to save between £1 and £50 every month, with a bonus of 50p for every £1 saved over four years.

This essentially equates to an interest rate of 50%, and savers who put away the maximum amount every month could receive £1,200 in bonuses.

Healthy Start - £442

Those receiving certain benefits who are either under 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old could access help to purchase healthy food and milk through the NHS' Healthy Start scheme. Moreover, individuals under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant can qualify regardless of whether they're claiming benefits.

Eligibility varies depending on the benefit you receive, but the scheme is open to those on Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance as well as Pension Credit. Successful applicants will receive a Healthy Start card, which can be used for food and milk for the child.

The card will have money loaded onto it every four weeks, starting with £4.25 each week into their pregnancy from the 10th week, then £8.50 every week from birth until the child is one, and back to £4.25 every week between the ages of one and four. The card also entitles parents to vitamins while pregnant and breastfeeding, and vitamin drops for their babies and toddlers.

Energy bill grants - up to £2,000

You could get a £25 discount on your energy bill over the winter through the cold weather payment scheme. This is given when temperatures are recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below, on average, for seven consecutive days between November 1 and March 31. People do not need to apply for the scheme and should get it automatically if they are claiming certain benefits and you can check if you're eligible for a payment using the Government's locator tool.

And other firms like British Gas have trusts and funds which offer up to £2,000.