DWP: Man shocked to find out he could claim £200 extra per month – can you? | Personal Finance | Finance
Britons are reminded that they can unlock significant income as one man has discovered he is entitled to hundreds more each month. As the cost of living crisis continues, families on low incomes are urged to check they are claiming all the benefits they are entitled to.
Any extra cash could be vital for those struggling to keep up with rising bills.
Jason is a building assurance engineer in construction. He works full time for a public sector employer in Bolton.
His salary of around £38,000 supports himself, his partner, who is unable to work due to health issues, and their 12 year-old child.
He said: “The cost of everything is going up, except for wages.”
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In 2022, Jason had the chance to organise some renovations for their home. The work would enhance his partner’s and the family’s wellbeing and they knew they would save money if they could pay for the work in spring rather than in summer.
With a poor credit score Jason had limited options if the family needed to borrow. He approached Salad Money, a social enterprise which specialises in lending to NHS and public sector, when he discovered the firm makes lending decisions based on Open Banking rather than credit scores.
When he applied he was surprised to find the credit provider helped him identify benefits that – on the basis of his application information – it appeared the family could claim but were not aware of it.
He thought it was a useful tool and after filling in his information and seeing the tool’s calculation of what he may be able to claim, he immediately made an application via the Gov Gateway.
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He said: “I simply wouldn’t have known about these benefits without having been flagged up.
“We felt great as it meant we had more income each month that we had no idea we were entitled to”.
Jason decided to take the Salad loan he applied for, but understood he did not have to do so as the lenders offered him financial support, signposting and education about the money he could receive.
Jason explained he would not have thought to apply had Salad not flagged he could be eligible.
He continued: “The benefit could really help my household as my partner cannot work.
“For me, it’s taken pressure off and will mean we can start doing things we’ve not been able to do in day to day living.”
Salad Money and Scotcash state they have together helped more than 110,000 people to identify a total of £374million annual benefits, which had previously been hidden to them, and there are many other responsible lenders who also help in the same way.
The UK’s responsible lenders regularly provide bespoke financial support, signposting and education to around a third of all applicants, often meaning that they don’t actually need to take out a loan at all.
Britons can use an independent, free and anonymous benefits calculator to check what they could be entitled to.
This will give you an estimate of:
– The benefits they could get
– How much their benefit payments could be
– How benefits will be affected if they start work or increase their hours
– How benefits will be affected if their circumstances change – for example, if they have a child or move in with their partner.
For more information, people can visit the Government website, or the Salad Money website.
