Guides
Ten PDFs. Each one links to the page on this site and to the home page. Confirm the rule on the official page before you apply.
What benefits can I claim?
Status first, then the postcode. What the free check does, and what £29 writes.
Universal Credit, in one sitting
Why there is no single amount, how a claim starts, and who it is not for.
How to fill in the PIP form
Phone first. Their form is the claim. What the points are actually scoring.
Child Benefit
The April 2026 weekly rates, the high-income charge, and Scottish Child Payment.
Pension Credit and the State Pension
Two different claims. The 2026/27 guarantee, and the mixed-age couple rule.
Carer's Allowance
£86.45 a week, the 35-hour test, and why it can reduce another benefit.
Council Tax Reduction
Apply to the council. It is not Housing Benefit. A rent shortfall is separate.
Attendance Allowance
Pension age, two rates, and no mobility part. How the claim is made.
A bank account and a credit file
Who must offer a basic account, and how a file is built. The account steps are free.
Winter payments, kept apart
Winter Fuel, Cold Weather, and the Warm Home Discount. They are not the same payment.
New Style ESA
The 2026/27 rates, why savings do not stop it, and how it sits next to Universal Credit.
New Style Jobseeker's Allowance
The weekly rate, the 182-day limit, and why income-based JSA is closed.
Free school meals
England tests benefits and earnings. Scotland pays for P1 to P5 without that test.
Maternity pay and the £500 grant
Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, and the separate Sure Start grant.
Bereavement Support Payment
Who can claim after a death, the time limit, and why it is not a pension.
No recourse to public funds
Which benefits are closed, which are not public funds, and the route for a child.
Disability Living Allowance for a child
Under 16 is DLA, not PIP. Scotland uses Child Disability Payment.
Help with childcare
Tax-Free Childcare or the Universal Credit element. You cannot use both.
Healthy Start and Best Start Foods
The food card in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland uses Best Start Foods.
How PIP points work
Eight points for the standard rate. Twelve for the enhanced rate. The parts do not mix.