Benefits

From April 2026, the standard allowance (the basic amount you get) will rise for new and existing claimants. This will be "above inflation", and will see the rate for a single person aged 25 or over rise from £92 a week in 2025/26 to £106 a week by 2029‑30.

The health element (which you get if you can't work because of sickness or disability), will change as follows:

a) For NEW claimants, from April 2026, this will be almost halved, from £97 a week in 2024/25 to £50 a week in 2026/27, and then frozen at this level until 2029/30.

Those with the most severe, life-long health conditions will "see their incomes protected through an additional premium".

b) For EXISTING claimants, the health element will be frozen at the current rate of £97 a week until 2029/30.

From November 2026, the eligibility criteria for personal independence payments (PIP), a benefit aimed at helping those with disability or long-term illness with increased living costs, will be tightened, with more points needed for a single activity such as washing, dressing or shopping.

The test which determines someone’s eligibility for the health element of Universal Credit will be scrapped in 2028.

The Government will consult on a new single assessment which will consider on the impact of disability on daily living, not on capacity to work.

The plan would be to combine the contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) into a single new, time-limited benefit, paid at the current ESA rate of £138 a week.

People claiming this would be expected to actively seek work, with accommodations for those with work-limiting health conditions. It will not be means tested.

Source: Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert March 2025 Benefits shake-up confirmed – Martin Lewis' MSE News

The following benefits are ending and are being replaced by Universal Credit:

• Tax credits: Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Housing Benefit, unless you’re in supported or temporary accommodation

Other benefits will stay the same.

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Visit the Government website to understand more about each benefit.

Check if you are eligible for Universal Credit

If you are on low income, out of work or cannot work, you may be eligible for Universal Credit. The government has made changes to allow working families to keep more of their money.

Check if you are eligible for Universal Credit 

If you claim benefits or tax credits, you will soon move to Universal Credit (UC) under new government changes.

• Find out if you are eligible www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators
• Watch how to make a claim here.

Unclaimed benefits

Billions of pounds of government benefits and allowances are going unclaimed every year.

One of the reasons is that many people don't realise they qualify for them.

Government support that's going unclaimed includes:

• Child benefit
• Pension credit
• Council tax support
• Universal Credit
• Attendance Allowance

To check if you are eligible for any of these benefits use the Turn2us checker: Turn2us Benefits Calculator

If you are on low income, out of work or cannot work you may be eligible for Universal Credit. The government has made changes to allow working families to keep more of their money.

Check if you are eligible for Universal Credit 

If you claim benefits or tax credits, you will soon move to Universal Credit (UC) under new government changes.

• Find out if you are eligible www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

• Watch how to make a claim here.

The DWP has rolled out the Universal credit migration scheme. This means that all legacy benefits will eventually be migrated to Universal Credit. The government aims to do this by 2026. Those who need to migrate will receive a Migration Notice Letter advising of the deadline to apply for Universal Credit.

Those migrating will not automatically be placed on Universal Credit; you must complete the application process within the allocated time frame. If you do not apply all your benefits will stop and you may lose out on money you are entitled to. For more information go to www.gov.uk/guidance/tax-credits-and-some-benefits-are-ending-move-to-universal-credit#benefits-that-are-ending (external web link)

If you need assistance with making the application, please contact us and our Tenancy Support Team will be happy to help.

Universal Credit monthly debt deductions to be reduced. If you owe money for debts including rent, council tax, utility bills and advances in benefit payments, you can have deductions automatically taken from your monthly Universal Credit standard allowance.

Check if you are eligible for the Carer’s Allowance

Billions of pounds of government benefits and allowances are going unclaimed every year.

One of the reasons is that many people don't realise they qualify for them.

Government support that is going unclaimed includes:

• Personal Independence Payments

Under Universal Credit, you’ll receive benefits in one lump sum, paid monthly.  In the past your local council may have paid your Housing Benefit straight to us.  Under Universal Credit, this is paid to you.    

Most of our tenants pay by Direct Debit.  We can set up a Direct Debit with you so that when you receive your housing costs from Universal Credit, a Direct Debit is set up to collect what you need to pay in full. 

As your rent is due weekly, we will ask that you pay an additional payment every month to bring your rent account 1 month in credit over time. This is to protect you if anything happens to your universal credit payments, and you are not able to pay your rent.

This means that for anyone earning between £12,750 a year – when national insurance becomes payable – and £26,000, or for those earning more than £60,000, there is no gain because of this frozen thresholds. Read more here: Spring Budget: Workers to pay less national insurance from April (moneysavingexpert.com)

Help to Save is a savings account. If you’re entitled to Working Tax Credit or you’re receiving Universal Credit, you can get a bonus of 50p for every £1 you save over 4 years.

Find out about Help to Save

Contact HMRC as soon as possible if you cannot pay your tax bill. We’re here to help, and you may be able to pay what you owe in instalments, depending on your circumstances and what you can afford.

Find out what to do if you cannot pay your tax bill on time

Credit: https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/

The old (basic) and new State Pension are set to rise by 4.8% in April 2026, in line with average wages.

For more information on the State Pension, visit  www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/pensions/types-of-pension/state-pension/

You get Child Benefit if you are responsible for bringing up a child who is:
•    under 16
•    under 20 if they stay in approved education or training

Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child.
There is no limit to how many children you can claim for.

By claiming Child Benefit, you can get:

•    an allowance paid to you for each child - you will usually get it every four weeks
•    National Insurance credits which count towards your State Pension
•    a National Insurance number for your child without them having to apply for one - they will usually get the number shortly before they turn 16 years old

For more information visit Child Benefit - Citizens Advice

Debt relief orders (DROs) are granted by the Insolvency Service in England and Wales and are aimed at people on low incomes with debts of less than £30,000.

The order freezes your debt repayments and interest for 12 months, and if your financial situation hasn't changed at the end of this time, then your debts are written off.

The £90 administration fee has now been scrapped.

In addition, the maximum amount of debt you can have under a DRO will rise from £30,000 to £50,000 – meaning more people will be able to access this debt management option. Plus, you'll be able to keep your car worth up to £4,000 (up from £2,000 currently).

Universal Credit claimants will get more time to repay 'Budgeting Advance' loans

These interest-free loans are available if you're claiming Universal Credit and need funds for an emergency, such as replacing a broken cooker.

You pay them back through your regular Universal Credit payments – you get paid less until the loan is repaid. Currently, you have 12 months to repay the loan. But, for new Budgeting Advances taken out from December 2024, the default repayment period will be extended to 24 months.

The Household Support Fund scheme gives local authorities funding to support vulnerable households with paying for essentials, such as energy and water bills, rent, food and more – the exact form of the support varies council-by-council. You can contact your council to find out what help it offers, whether you're eligible, and how to apply. 

When you make contact with us we will discuss your household budget and the debts that you may have. Our Tenancy Sustainability Team will agree on a realistic repayment plan so that you can clear your rent arrears. You can also be referred to our Tenancy Sustainability Team for support.

The Tenancy Sustainability Team can help you with:

• Claiming benefits
• Energy efficiency and reducing your bills
• Budgeting advice.
• Obtaining grants for food, energy, white goods and much more

We can also give you details of other organisations that may be able to help and support you.

Increasing your income or dealing with debt

Whatever your money troubles, it is really important that you don’t ignore them; debt won’t go away. Our Tenancy Sustainability Team offers free and confidential advice to help you with your money matters. They can help with:

• Claiming benefits
• Reducing energy bills and saving money
• Budgeting.
• Obtaining grants for food, energy, white goods and much more

They can also give you the details of other organisations that may be able to help and support you. 

If you need additional information from trusted local services about a wide range of local health and community services, please check with your local council.

Clearing your arrears

If you are in rent arrears, we will contact you to agree on a way of clearing the debt.

We will consider your income and outgoings and check your benefits to ensure you have all the income you are entitled to. We will then agree a reasonable payment plan to clear the arrears. For those on Universal Credit this is usually about £5 per week, but we will consider all your income and outgoings before agreeing an amount.

Action for non-payment of rent

If you fail to pay your rent and do not agree with us to clear your arrears, then there may be no alternative but to begin proceedings to remove you from the property.

This is avoidable if you talk to us. We understand that the cost of living is hitting our tenants hard and want to help. Please speak to a member of our Income Collection Team to avoid legal action.