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Background

It is estimated that every year in this Country hundreds of millions of pounds worth of benefits and entitlements go unclaimed. People experiencing financial hardship don't get the help they need and deserve because they don't realise that it is available, and as a result they carry on struggling to make ends meet and the money (their money) stays in the Government's coffers.

Part of the problem is that the benefit system in this Country is now so big and so complicated that it can be almost impossible to work out what you are entitled to and what you aren't. This gets more confusing when entitlement to one benefit often reduces your eligibility to another one, or means you can no longer remain in receipt of help you are already getting. Many people, especially the elderly, worry that getting a benefit in one hand may leave them worse off as they might lose savings or allowances from the other hand.

To get information for this section of BEST Advice we looked at lots of websites, and if we are totally honest, we were no more knowledgeable when we left some of them than we were when we arrived. That said, there are also some good ones, but don't expect finding out about benefits and your entitlements to be plain sailing. There is a lot of information to wade through and of course, benefits and entitlements are one of the things that are often increased in the annual budget and are usually subject to alteration if the claimant’s circumstances change, so please do bear those things in mind when you are getting the information.

Government Agencies

From the Government's perspective, they now run most of the benefits and entitlements system from one large department. Previously, the Department of Health and Social Security ran most of the system, but that department no longer exists and in its place is an equally large, if not larger, one, The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Together with other Government agencies, they control and administer the benefit system. The Department of Work and Pensions do this through the nationwide chain of Job Centre Plus offices.

To be fair the Government has taken massive steps and made great effort to make the system easier than it ever has been before, but while you can get information from the websites we list at the end of this section, it is often better to actually sit down and talk to another person and try to get the information you need that way.

Sources of Information on Benefits

To source information about benefits can be done in several ways.

In the main, benefits are divided into four groups:

Benefits for people of working age

If you are looking for work (or are in low paid work) you can get financial help and support from your nearest Jobcentre Plus office or from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Benefits for people who have retired or who are planning to retire

Besides the State Pension, many people are entitled to other benefits. The Pensions Service, part of The Dept of Work and Pensions now administers the entire pension’s service in this country.

Benefits for Families and for children

Everyone who has a child is entitled to claim Child Benefit, but additional support is also available for families who have particular requirements. For example, if you have a child or children with special needs, if you are a single parent family or are expecting a baby you could well qualify for additional allowances and benefits. This help is provided by different sections of the Department for Work and Pensions, and HMRC. A Jobcentre Plus advisor will help you find the right department to answer any questions you may have and help you make your claim.

Benefits for disabled people and those who care for them

These particular benefits vary according to the nature of illness or disability and the effect it has had on you, for example, whether it is long-term and whether you were in work when you became ill or disabled. There is a range of local and central government support available for people who are sick, or who are disabled, and for the people who care for them.

All benefits of this type are administered by either the DWP or the HMRC, who also provide help with things like:

Crisis Loans

If you need help due to an emergency or disaster, you may be able to get a Crisis Loan.

Community Care Grants

If you need help because you are homeless, leaving prison, caring for someone or facing family breakdown, you may be able to get a Community Care Grant.

Budgeting Loans

If you need help to pay for things like furniture, clothes and travel, you may be able to get a Budgeting Loan.

Cold Weather Payments

The Job Centre Plus offices are the local arm of the Department of Work and Pensions and you can either call or pop in to speak to someone. They have a helpline number you can use which is free to call from landline telephones, but remember that some mobile companies do charge for calling free phone numbers.

Making contact to make a Claim

If you need to make a claim for benefit call 0800 055 6688. If you find it hard to speak or hear clearly a textphone is available on 0800 023 4888. Lines are open from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday.

You can also make some claims direct to the Department of Work and Pensions on line by logging in to the Government website at: www.direct.gov.uk Just click on the "Money, Tax and Benefits" section heading on the left hand side of the home page.

(That particular website is mentioned in many sections of BEST Advice as it contains of wealth of advice on all manner of subjects and can offer clear and constructive help on any issue in which a Government department may be involved.)

Alternatively you can check out the excellent Citizens Advice website - Advice Guide which has lots of sections covering different benefits.

Bedfordshire Job Centre Plus Offices

If you need to call in and speak to an advisor then local Job Centre Plus offices include:

Biggleswade Jobcentre Plus: 73 High St, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 0JH - Telephone: 0845 604 3719

Letchworth Jobcentre Plus: The People's House, 2 Station Rd, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, SG6 3AZ - Telephone: 0845 604 3719

Stevenage Jobcentre Plus: 38-44 The Forum, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 1EZ - Telephone: 0845 604 3719

Benefits administered by HM Revenue and Customs

If your particular benefit is administered by HM Revenue and Customs then things, at first glance can be a little more complex as many individual tax records are not administered locally and PAYE records for people who live in Beds and West Herts are (according to their website) administered by the tax office based in... Portsmouth!

Don't despair though, for this very reason HMRC have set up enquiry centres at local tax offices and telephone help lines where people can call in to get help, advice and guidance.

The telephone helpline numbers differ depending on your query. Follow the link to go to the HMRC website page which has an alphabetical list of all the help lines available: www.hmrc.gov.uk/enq/index.htm

You can use the enquiry centres to call in and get "face to face" help, not just about HMRC administered benefits but also about any tax issues you may have. The nearest ones to us are:

Hitchin: Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin SG5 1DJ (No disabled facilities available at this time.)

Stevenage: Southgate House, St George's Way, Stevenage SG1 1HL (Disabled facilities available.)

Bedford: Chailey House, Cardington Road Bedford MK42 0YS (Disabled facilities available.)

Luton: King House, George Street West, Luton LU1 2DZ (Disabled facilities available.)

 

Finally, we will echo the very first line of this section of BEST Advice.

It is estimated that every year in this Country hundreds of millions of pounds worth of benefits and entitlements go unclaimed.

Please don't be one of the millions of people who need it, deserve it and don't claim it.