Benefits and reduced income

On this page:

Don’t miss out on income
Where to get benefit advice
Universal Credit
If your benefits stop
If you disagree with a decision
Help with one off and ongoing costs
Financial help if you’re disabled
Struggling with care and support costs
Discretionary payments
Further information

Don’t miss out on income

An estimated £23 billion of benefits and financial assistance goes unclaimed each year by millions of households in the UK.

Use our quick and easy benefit calculator to see if you are entitled to any benefits or financial support and how to apply. You could still be entitled to benefits and financial support if you are working or on a low income.

Where to get benefit advice

The local organisations below can provide you with free and confidential advice and support to make and maintain a claim for benefits:

Citizens Advice Reading provide Help to Claim service on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. They can help you if you struggle to use a computer or verify your identity and support you to complete the actions on your online journal and understand what Universal Credit will mean for you.

They also have specialist benefits advisers. They can help people apply for benefits or appealing decisions, including preparation for tribunals. They also support people and families living with cancer to claim appropriate benefits.

Communicare can help complete benefit applications and forms in general, they are also able to make referrals to other support agencies for you.

Welfare Rights can help with benefit claims and specialise in help with Personal Independence Payment claims and any benefit mandatory reconsiderations or appeals.

You can also find more information on benefits from advice websites including:

• Entitledto
• Turn2us
• Citizens Advice

Universal Credit

For working aged people making a new claim that is not directly related to a disability or health condition, you will need to claim Universal Credit.

People who receive a migration notice from the Department for Work and Pensions also need to make a claim for Universal Credit.

There is more information on our Universal Credit page and the Department for Work and Pensions website. If you need support to make an application for Universal Credit, help is available from Help to Claim service.

If your benefits stop

If your benefits reduce or stop unexpectedly, it’s important to find out why as soon as you can.

If you claim:

• Universal Credit – log into your online journal or contact the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
• Other benefits from the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) – you will have been sent a letter. If you have not received or can’t find it contact the DWP on 0800 169 0310.
• Tax Credits – you will have been sent a letter, if you can’t find or have not received a letter contact the DWP on 0345 300 3900.
• Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support – you will have been sent a letter, if you haven’t received or can’t find it, contact Customer Services on 0118 937 3707.

If you disagree with a decision

You should request a ‘mandatory reconsideration’ of a decision within a month of the decision being made. You can still ask for a mandatory reconsideration outside of a month, but you will need to provide a good reason for not doing it within a month.

If your mandatory reconsideration is unsuccessful and you still disagree with the decision, you can appeal the decision.

More in information on requesting a mandatory reconsideration can be found on the Citizens Advice and Gov.uk websites.

You can also get advice and support from:

• Welfare Rights – form filling, challenging decisions
• Money Helper – a government-approved online advice service, providing impartial advice on money and pensions choices.
• Communicare – checking entitlement, form filling, challenging decisions
• Citizens Advice Reading – advice on budgeting, benefits, housing, employment, immigration, and debt options

Help with one off and ongoing costs

Social tariffs

Social tariffs are cheaper broadband and phone packages for people claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other benefits. Some providers call them ‘essential’ or ‘basic’ broadband.

For more information visit the Ofcom website.

Help with childcare

Information on government schemes and support if you are currently unemployed is available.

Further advice and support are available from the Family Information Service including support for parent carers to access funded childcare and other Government schemes.

Help with food costs

If you are struggling with paying for food visit our help with food costs page for more information on support available.

Help with furniture, bedding and kitchen items

Christian Community Action provide support to Reading residents who need furniture, bedding and kitchen items (including starter packs) at greatly discounted prices. Phone 0118 951 2337 or email support@ccam.org.uk

Help for households

The government have set up a Help for Households website with lots of useful information including support with household costs, childcare, travel, and energy costs.

Financial help if you’re disabled

If you have a disability or long term health condition you can find out about help available to you on Gov.uk.

Struggling with care and support costs

If you are struggling to afford to pay your adult social care charges – such as Personal Budget invoices from the council, or Direct Payments contributions, check the financial assessment of your contribution for care and support is up-to-date.

Your financial assessment may need to be updated if there has been a change to your expenses, for example:   

• Rent or mortgage or service charges. If you are paying more than you were at your last financial assessment, you should send details and evidence of your current costs using our contact form.

• Higher than average heating/energy bills relating to disability or medical condition. Check your annual fuel bill amounts against the amounts in our disability-related expenses guide to see if you could get an allowance (or a larger allowance) for additional heating/fuel costs in your financial assessment. If your annual fuel bills amount to more than the average for your housing type then send details/evidence of your annual bills using the secure online disability-related expense assessment questionnaire.

• Other disability-related expenses. Have your other disability-related expenses increased due to recent inflation? If you’re not sure, keep your bills and receipts that relate to expenses relating to disability/medical condition. You can use them to see what your expenses are, what they cost and how often. If you are paying more than you were at your last financial assessment, or you have new disability-related expenses then send us details and evidence of your extra costs by completing the disability-related expense assessment questionnaire.

When you submit updated housing costs and/or disability-related expenses information, your financial assessment will be reviewed to consider those extra costs and you will be informed of your new assessed maximum weekly contribution.

Entitlement to additional income through welfare benefits will be checked, and you will be offered advice and support on how to apply.   

If your assessed maximum weekly contribution is more than your weekly personal budget amount for care and support, you will be charged the lower personal budget amount. If you have any questions about your financial assessment, contact the Financial Assessments and Benefits Team on 0118 937 3724, email fab.team@reading.gov.uk or use our contact form.

if your assessment is up to date and correct, but you are still struggling to afford to pay your care and support invoices due to financial hardship, contact your social care worker or call Adult Care Services on 0118 937 3747.

Discretionary payments

Reading Borough Council have two discretionary payment schemes:

• The Discretionary Housing Payment scheme that could help when Housing Benefit or the Housing Costs Element of Universal Credit does not pay the full rent charge.
• The Discretionary Council Tax Support Payment scheme that could provide extra financial support to people receiving Council Tax Support.

More information on the schemes, including eligibility and making an application.

Further information

We have dedicated webpages with more information and support on:

• Universal Credit – Including managed migration and managing your claim.
• Benefit cap – Including the options available to deal with the benefit cap and support available.