Caring for Your Cash
Research has shown that people who have money difficulties are more likely to be reached through face-to-face support. The Omega extended team regularly come in to contact with unpaid family carers and we are continuously looking for ways to provide more support. Omega is now a Turn2us intermediary. We can help you check your entitlement to benefits if you are unable to access the online tool.
Information you may need to complete your Benefits Check
Before you start to use the calculator, we suggest that you collect together the information that you need to answer the questions that you will be asked as you work your way through it. This includes:
- Details of all your income, e.g. State Retirement Pension, occupational pensions, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, other state benefits and any earnings.
- If you are married, in a civil partnership or living with someone as a couple, you will need details of your partner’s income, including any benefits they are getting. We need to know this as you will be assessed as a couple. If you have anyone else living with you who is not your partner, we need to know about them too – see below.
- Details of how much money you have in savings, investments and other capital.
- How much your annual council tax bill is and whether you get any help with it.
- Details of your rent or mortgage payments.
- Information about anyone else, e.g. grown-up children, living with you. Are they in employment or on benefits? What is their income?
- Details of anyone who receives carers’ allowance for looking after you or anyone else in your household.
You will be asked to enter your income and benefits as weekly amounts. If you do not know how much you get per week in benefits, the original letter from your local benefits office will tell you. If you get benefits or income paid into your bank account every four weeks, you can divide that figure by four to get your weekly amount. If you get paid once every calendar month, you can multiply the figure by 12 and divide by 52.
If you do not have the exact information that you need, it is possible to complete the process using estimates, but please be aware that the calculation may not be correct for you. View this information on the Turn2Us website. Use the Turn2us benefits Checker to check your entitlement to a range of benefits. Please be aware that not all benefits are means tested.
List of benefits identified by the Turn2us Benefits Checker
The Turn2us Benefits Checker will calculate entitlement to some benefits (mainly means-tested ones) and eligibility to some other benefits.
Benefits where estimates of possible eligibility are given
The Turn2us Benefits Checker indicates your possible eligibility to claim the following means-tested benefits and gives you an estimate of the amount you may receive:
- Child Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit (England, Scotland Wales) Housing Benefit (Northern Ireland)
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Tax Credits (Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit)
Benefits where possible eligibility is indicated
The Turn2us Benefits Checker indicates eligibility to the following benefits but does not calculate estimates of the amount you might receive. For those marked with an asterisk (*), the Checker will however calculate premiums in other benefits that may be available to people claiming these benefits, if you indicate in the Checker that you are claiming them.
- Age-related tax allowance
- Attendance Allowance*
- Bus pass
- Carer’s Allowance*
- Cold Weather Payments
- Digital TV switch-over help scheme
- Disability Living Allowance*
- Disability Living Allowance for children*
- Disabled Facilities Grants
- Discretionary Housing Payment
- Free prescriptions and eye-tests
- Free school meals
- Free TV licence
- Funeral Grants
- Home Improvements Grants
- NHS low income scheme (link opens in a new window)
- Social Fund
- Sure Start Maternity Grant
- Warm Front
- Winter Fuel Payments
Start the Turn2Us Benefit Entitlement Calculator
Groups not included in the calculator
The Benefits Checker does not work out eligibility to benefits for some groups of people because special rules apply and the estimates may not be correct. Groups not included are:
- Students
- People aged under 18
- People who are permanently in residential care, a nursing home or hospital.
- Prisoners
- People on strike
- People who are not British or Irish citizens
- UK nationals who live abroad
Links
www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/yourmoney/
ESA Migration 4 useful guides from www.benefitsandwork.co.uk:
Understanding Employment and Support Allowance
ESA: Mental Health and Learning Difficulties
ESA Appeals
SA Claims: Physical Health Grounds
www.moneysavingexpert.com
Omega is developing a Caring for your Cash Training resource to help carers manage their money. We welcome support from experienced service providers and suitably-qualified individuals with the ability to share key messages and help carers, including those who find handling money difficult, to stay firmly in control. If you come across any information or an innovative learning or information sharing approach you think would be of benefit to carers please get in touch.
