Mom reveals how she reclaimed £5,686 in lacking advantages - and the way others can too

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Your assist makes all of the distinction. Learn extra Tens of millions of persons are lacking out on assist typically price 1000's of kilos a yr, as the size of unclaimed welfare advantages is revealed.

A number of essential advantages can be found within the UK to fulfill varied wants. The complicated nature of the welfare system means those that are eligible for sure advantages can typically miss out.

In 2023-2024, there was £23 billion of assist unclaimed, based on analysis by Coverage in Follow. The vast majority of that is common credit score, which is essentially the most generally claimed profit within the UK for these on a low revenue.

Newly launched statistics from anti-poverty charity Turn2Us present that £9.6 billion has gone unclaimed in common credit score alone over the previous yr.

Single mother-of-three Esther discovered she was lacking out on a number of advantages regardless of being entitled after utilizing the charity’s entitlement calculator.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/52/esther-turn2us-feature-unclaimed-benefits.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/52/esther-turn2us-feature-unclaimed-benefits.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/52/esther-turn2us-feature-unclaimed-benefits.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Single mother-of-three Esther found out she was missing out on several benefits despite being entitled to them" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Single mother-of-three Esther discovered she was lacking out on a number of advantages regardless of being entitled to them (Turn2Us) She mentioned: “The calculator uncovered assist I didn’t know I might get, issues like Incapacity Residing Allowance (DLA) for my youngsters, council tax discount [or support], and the well being and carer components inside common credit score.

“Altogether it was price 1000's as soon as backdated, however the true distinction wasn’t the quantity, it was stability. I didn’t need to work each waking hour simply to maintain up. I might warmth the home, make things better after they broke, and really be current for my youngsters.”

The 37-year-old has two twin sons with complicated wants. This qualifies her for additional entitlements that she didn't beforehand know she was eligible for.

After discovering this out, Esther was capable of obtain the carer’s aspect of common credit score backdated three years, in addition to a whole discount of her council tax.

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Altogether, the three additional advantages she was capable of declare would add as much as a mean of £400 a month, or £4,800 a yr. And since Esther has two youngsters with complicated disabilities, each obtain DLA individually, which might increase this quantity to a mean of £5,686.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/30/esther-turn2us-feature-2.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/30/esther-turn2us-feature-2.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/30/esther-turn2us-feature-2.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Esther was able to receive the carer’s element of universal credit backdated three years, as well as a complete reduction of her council tax" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Esther was capable of obtain the carer’s aspect of common credit score backdated three years, in addition to a whole discount of her council tax (Turn2Us) “There’s no disgrace in needing assist,” mentioned Esther, who advises individuals “to not wait, as a result of in my story I waited till it was at disaster level, and it doesn’t need to be that”.

The profit subsequent most missed out on after common credit score is council tax assist, which is much less well-known. It is a low cost on council tax that's granted by native authorities to eligible households of their space who apply.

Round £3.4 million price of council tax assist went unclaimed in 2023-2024, with greater than 2.2 million households lacking out.

The low cost can see the month-to-month cost decreased by as much as 100 per cent, that means it's nicely price individuals making use of. Eligibility will usually be based mostly on components like revenue, advantages obtained and financial savings.

Anna Stevenson, advantages professional at Turn2us, mentioned: “Lots of people miss out on council tax assist just because they’re not conscious it exists. It’s not at all times marketed clearly, and the data might be buried or appear complicated.

“For households already stretched skinny, it’s simple to imagine there’s no additional assist accessible. Nevertheless, many are entitled to assist that would make an actual distinction to their family finances.”

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/25/esther-turn2us-feature-3.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/25/esther-turn2us-feature-3.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&trim=0%2C850%2C0%2C1390&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/08/20/15/25/esther-turn2us-feature-3.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&trim=0%2C850%2C0%2C1390&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="‘There’s no shame in needing support,’ said Esther" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

‘There’s no disgrace in needing assist,’ mentioned Esther (Turn2Us) To search out out if they're lacking out on any assist they're entitled to, individuals can use the advantages calculator from Turn2Us, which can ask a couple of questions in confidence.

A spokesperson for the Native Authorities Affiliation, which represents councils throughout England, mentioned: “Councils present a variety of assist to people who find themselves struggling to fulfill their council tax funds. It's important that anybody who's unable to afford their payments, or who's susceptible to monetary hardship, contacts their council as quickly as attainable to entry assist.

“Excessive numbers are claiming a reduction on their council tax, which is including additional strain on this already underfunded important native security web. The federal government wants to make sure councils have the complete quantity of funding required to supply council tax assist to those that want it. In any other case, it's virtually inevitable that payments will proceed to be pressured up for individuals who can least afford to pay.”

A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Native Authorities spokesperson mentioned: “Councils are required to place schemes in place to assist these on low incomes with their council tax payments, and anybody at the moment experiencing difficulties paying their invoice can profit from a variety of reductions and exemptions.

“We're decided to provide working households extra safety, which is why, by our Plan for Change, we're consulting on methods to modernise the billing course of to make it fairer and easier, in addition to defending individuals in opposition to extreme hikes.”