Tag: unclaimed benefits

Campaign shines a light on capital’s unclaimed millions

Edinburgh residents are being urged to check their cost-of-living support to claim everything they are entitled to.

With 80,000 people living in poverty in Edinburgh – including close to a quarter of all children – tackling inequality and preventing poverty remains one of the biggest challenges facing the capital.

As it’s revealed that households could be owed up to £80 million in unclaimed benefits in Edinburgh, the council has rolled out two new self-help tools to make it easier for people to check what they’re owed.

A DIY benefits calculator, Entitled To, and a one-stop-shop for other forms of financial support, Lightning Reach, have been made available online.

A campaign has been launched to highlight these tools, urging residents not to leave their household budgets to chance. 

Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “It’s a worrying time for lots of people who are struggling with rising costs and we want to make sure that every household is claiming all the benefits they are entitled to. If you go online, you’ll find our DIY benefits calculator which makes it straightforward to check what you might be owed, so that you can then apply for support.

“Our efforts to tackle poverty in Edinburgh have put almost £24 million into the pockets of those who need it most, but around £80 million in benefits remains unclaimed. It’s my hope that this campaign will help to challenge the barriers – stigma, complexity and lack of awareness – that prevent people from accessing the support they should be getting.

“I urge everyone to check their cost-of-living support and to get in touch for more advice or support as needed.”

Linda’s story

Linda, 59, has been a full-time-carer for her brother since their mother passed away almost 10 years ago.

She said: “I worked from the age of 17 and in my late 20’s I bought my own home and a car. But in 2015, my mother suddenly became unwell. She spent six months in intensive care on a ventilator and then passed away.

“I very suddenly became a full time carer for my brother, who has additional support needs. I had to stop working and sell my house to go live with him and my life changed completely.

I went from ‘having it all’ – a job, a house, holidays and savings – to having next to nothing. The stigma associated with having to ask for help and being judged for having to rely on benefits has probably been the hardest part.

“I wish I had sought help earlier than I did. I wish I had set my pride and feelings of shame aside and realised that asking for help is not a bad thing. When life events happen that turn your world upside down, there is help available. The hardest part is knowing where to look to find that help – it can be very challenging – and accepting that there is no stigma in asking.”

Progress to End Poverty in Edinburgh

This July will mark the mid-point between the publication of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission’s final report and the city’s target to end poverty by 2030.

Linda (as above) is a member of End Poverty Edinburgh. Speaking about this experience, she said: “By being part of End Poverty Edinburgh, I have had the opportunity to attend and speak at various meetings and events to raise awareness of the issues which those living in poverty have to face.

“We work closely with the council and others to improve customer experiences when seeking advice and help.

“We try to promote the help that is available which a lot of people aren’t aware of. Being part of this group has given me back a feeling of self worth.”

So far, positive collaboration on a range of initiatives between the council and partners has led to:

•          Increasing access to grants and welfare advice by 20% over the last year

•          Helping residents to receive almost £24 million in previously unclaimed benefits

•          Supporting 5,000 people into work or learning (a 19% increase on the previous year)

•          Driving down bills for 900 homes thanks to new energy efficiency measures

•          Securing savings worth £206k for tenants through Energy Advice Support (an average of £428 per household)

•          Helping to prevent homelessness for 461 households

•          Over 9,000 free school meal payments and nearly 8,400 clothing grant awards

•          Supporting 95% of all pupils to reach positive destinations after school

•          Encouraging payment of the living wage (up 80 in a year to 720 accredited employers)

•          Agreeing Council contracts committed to paying the real Living Wage (96% of suppliers, up 14%)

•          Introducing a new Regenerative Futures Fund, a third sector led programme bringing £15m of new investment.

Last week councillors agreed to redirect all available council-owned housing stock towards people experiencing homelessness.

New local authority lets will be suspended in all but a few cases as the city council tries to address an increasingly worsening homelessness crisis in the capital.

Age Scotland uncovers more than £2m of unclaimed benefits

Age Scotland has identified a record £2,116,447 of unclaimed benefits for older people who called the charity’s helpline in 2024 – an increase of 34% on the previous year.

However the Scottish charity for older people stressed that the amount could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’ with millions of pounds still going unclaimed by older people who are entitled to more financial support.

Last year Age Scotland was part of a campaign urging older people on low or moderate incomes to check if they were entitled to Pension Credit, after the UK government scrapped the Winter Fuel Payment for anyone not in receipt of the benefit.

Pension Credit is available to people over State Pension age on low incomes or with modest savings, to help with the cost of living. Attendance Allowance is for people over State Pension age who have a physical or mental disability.

Katherine Crawford, Age Scotland’s chief executive, said: “The UK government’s shock decision last year to remove the Winter Fuel Payment for all pensioners except those who received Pension Credit made it abundantly clear just how important it is for older people to claim all the benefits they are entitled to.

“We know that many callers to our helpline are facing severe financial hardship, and that claiming the full range of benefits can make a significant difference to their lives. It can be the difference between heating their home or not and being able to eat well.

“While we welcome the increase in the amount of money uncovered in 2024, we still believe this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are millions of pounds of benefits set aside for older people – money which could be life changing – which is not being claimed.

“Our helpline advisors can carry out a full benefits check and help callers navigate the complex benefits system. We also have an online benefits calculator, and we would encourage older people to make use of our helpline or the calculator to ensure that every penny gets into the right hands.”

Anyone over the age of 50 can call the Age Scotland national helpline on 0800 12 44 222.

Case Study 1:

Mrs Smith is in her 50s and currently unable to work through ill health. Her husband is a pensioner and has suddenly become unwell himself. Their adult son lives with them.

Mrs Smith called our helpline worried about how she would cope financially. Our advisors were able to examine a number of financial scenarios based on the potential award of benefits such as Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Council Tax Reduction, Adult Disability Payment, Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit, as well as the effect of her son leaving home if this occurred.

The potential financial gain to Mrs Smith identified was £8,724.04 each year. This would make a huge difference and alleviated some of Mrs Smith’s worries and concerns. We were able to explain how to go about claiming the benefits and where to get help if needed along with providing a range of publications for more information.

Case Study 2

Mr Brown is approaching pension age and not able to work through ill health. He and his wife are receiving a means tested benefit but were not sure if it would stop at pension age.

Mr Brown and his wife are both in receipt of disability benefits and she also gets Carer’s Allowance for helping to look after him. They called our helpline worried and unsure about their future financial circumstances.

Our advisors completed a benefit check and identified that Mr Brown and his wife are currently being underpaid on their existing benefit and that, by correcting this, not only will they be entitled to significant arrears but this will mean they are also able to receive some Universal Credit after Mr Brown reaches pension age. We explained how to go about disputing the underpayment, how and when to claim the new benefits, and what support might be available to do this.

We also explained that Mr Brown had been misadvised by his energy supplier in relation to obtaining the £150 Warm Home Discount, how to go about disputing this and what he might be able to do if there were any problems.

The total financial gain identified for 2024 was £6,637.10. Mr Brown felt reassured about the situation following the call.

Age Scotland uncovers more than £1.5 million of unclaimed benefits for older people

Age Scotland has identified  £1,577,341.81 of unclaimed benefits for older people who called their helpline in 2023, more than double the figure for the previous year, and a record amount for the charity.

Scotland’s national charity for older people said the amount – a remarkable 136% increase on the 2022 figure – is still the ‘tip of the iceberg’, with millions of pounds unclaimed by older people who are entitled to more financial support.

Katherine Crawford, Age Scotland’s chief executive, said: “Many of the callers to our helpline are facing severe financial hardship, in part due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“For the tens of thousands of pensioners in Scotland on low and middle incomes, claiming the full range of benefits to which they are entitled can be the difference between heating their home or not and being able to eat well.

“Our helpline advisers, who carry out benefits checks, have also noticed an increase in the number of over 50s inquiring about working age benefits, such as Universal Credit, as the impact of the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

“However we still believe that this is only the tip of the iceberg and that there are millions of pounds of benefits for older people which are not being claimed.

“Unfortunately there is a real lack of awareness around what support is available and a strong feeling that the application processes are too hard. Around a third of over 50s say they don’t claim what they are entitled to because they feel guilty doing so or that someone else would be more deserving. We must change this as far too many go without the help they have earned.

“We would encourage more older people in Scotland to call our helpline for a free benefits check. Our expert advisers can help callers navigate the complex benefits system – and the results could be life changing.”

Among the benefits available to older people in need are Pension Credit, available to people over State Pension age on low income or with modest savings, to help with the cost of living, and Attendance Allowance, a payment for people over State Pension age who have a physical or mental disability.

Anyone over the age of 50 can call the Age Scotland national helpline on 0800 12 44 222.

Case Study 1:

Mr A is a father of 5 school age children. He has health problems and also provides care for his 19 year old adult son. He was previously on Tax Credits but has now had to make a claim for Universal Credit and was unsure about how much he might be able to get.

We carried out several calculations to look at the full range of his potential entitlements, factoring in all of his financial and family circumstances, in particular being able to reassure him that restrictions like the benefit cap and two child limit would not apply in his case.

We were able to explain to him that he could be entitled to the equivalent of £38, 342 per year in benefits and gave him advice about some common problems he might encounter when claiming and what steps he could take if these happened.

Case Study 2:

Mrs M called from South Lanarkshire after being signposted to Age Scotland by DWP Pension Credit team.

She is in her late sixties and has been the main carer for her husband. He recently passed away and she has been struggling to manage rising costs on her state pension. She applied for Pension Credit and was informed she is £2 over the threshold to qualify for this.

During the call, she explained she has COPD and other health issues. Her caring role has taken a toll on her health, and she finds it more difficult to cope on a daily basis. We discussed Attendance Allowance, and she plans to apply for this. When awarded this will increase her income by £68 per week in addition to making her eligible for a Pension Credit award of approximately £70 per week.