Millions of pounds worth of government allowances and benefits go unclaimed each year simply because people don’t know they exist. This means that hundreds of thousands of households find themselves struggling financially for no reason and so it’s important that everyone claims what they’re entitled to when they’re entitled to it. Below you’ll find a few top tips for claiming the allowances and benefits you’re eligible for.

Find out what you’re entitled to.
Before you do anything you need to find out what benefits and other allowances you’re actually entitled to claim. The easiest way to do this is through the entitledto.co.uk website. Here you fill in a five minute form and the results show you the main benefits you’re eligible to receive. The website only focuses on the main benefits though and so it might also be worth visiting the CAB and talking to a professional advisor.

Find out how to make a claim.
Different benefits are controlled by different government departments so in order to speed up a claim it’s important that you send your forms to the right address from the start. For example, you can apply for job seeker’s allowance at your local Job Centre Plus but any applications for tax credits need to go to the Inland Revenue and Pension Credit applications have to go to the Pension Service.

Check for associated benefits that might also apply.
This may seem strange however being in receipt of one type of benefit can then open up the door to a range of other benefits that you wouldn’t be entitled to if you weren’t in receipt of the original benefit (hope that makes sense!) For example, pensioners who claim Pension credits can also apply for council tax and housing benefits and a winter fuel payment to help with their heating costs. Until they apply for the pension credits though these other benefits are harder to claim.

Make regular checks of the available allowances and benefits.
The government are forever updating existing benefits and implementing new ones so it’s important to keep an eye on what’s available. The direct.gov.uk website is one of the top sites for finding up to date information about allowances and benefits however the CAB website is also one worth reading.

You don’t get penalised for making a claim and having it turned down so if you think you might be eligible but you’re not sure then put in a claim anyway – they can only say no at the end of the day.