Benefits

All welfare rights team advisers are available and working from home. If you need any support call the adviser on duty, the duty rota is as follows:

Useful source of money information (kept up to date) here 

Some important general points:

• If person claims UC then their HB and Tax Credits will stop.
• A person cannot be compelled to claim UC.  It is a decision they have to make.
• If a HB claim has closed because a person lost their job, they can ask for it to be re-opened and assessed on nil income (presuming they haven’t already claimed UC - seek advice).
• People can continue to receive HB on nil income, or whilst receiving other benefits (CB, WTC/CTC etc but not UC). 
• People can make a claim for contributions based benefits if they lose their job (& meet criteria) and continue to receive HB if they're already getting it.
• They cannot make a new claim for HB unless they meet the very specific criteria (i.e. pensioner/couple pensioners or receiving SDP).
• They may need to claim UC if they can’t get contributions based benefits or don’t have any other income or can’t afford to wait it out.
• If HB stops because someone claiming ESA was found fit for work they can ask for HB to be reopened and assessed on nil income seek advice and appeal ESA decision (so long as haven’t claimed UC) .
• The Government will shortly issue package of support for the self-employed – (issued 26/3/20 - more detail to follow).

People can do a benefit check using better off benefit calculators, here’s a link to three on the DWP website.

It is safer to direct people to the calculators or an adviser such as Citizens Advice,  or, if council tenant, to WRT rather than simply telling them to claim UC.

Child benefit

Someone who has just had a baby but can't get a birth certificate as the registration service is currently suspended can still claim child benefit.

https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit/how-to-claim

More information on benefits is here.

Amended 30/3/20