Money advice
The Money Advisors at Rooftop can provide help and support with getting the right benefit entitlements.
Struggling with your finances? You are not alone!
If you are finding it hard to pay your rent or keep up with bills, you may qualify for additional benefits and support, depending on your circumstances.
Our Income Team and Money Advisors are here to help. Contact us before things get too tough. We are here to support and not to judge. Call 01386 420 800.
Working out what benefits or tax credits that you are entitled to can be tricky, especially with recent welfare changes.
Rooftop Housing Group’s money advisors can provide help and support with getting the right benefit entitlements.
Our advisors can check current entitlement, do ‘what if’ scenarios, and offer support with challenging benefit decisions and appealing against them. We can also help you access support from organisations outside of Rooftop or make referrals.
Email money.advice@rooftopgroup.org
As you go through the information below, you will see the different Benefits that we can help with and can use our online calculator.
We can help with
Changes to Pension Credit Rules took place on 15 May 2019. Pensioners who live together as a couple will only be able to make a new claim for pension credit when both partners are over the state pension age.
In practice you have until 13 August 2019 to make a claim if you were both State pension age on 15 May 2019.
Unsure of when you can start claiming your pension? Check your State Pension age here.
If you think you might be entitled, please contact us.
Universal Credit is the government’s new benefit for working age people. It replaces Jobseekers’ Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits and Income Support.
It is paid monthly, direct to you, so you will need to have a bank account, and it can only be claimed for and accessed online. If you struggle to get online, get in touch as we may be able to help.
You will need to have an email address that you can access easily on a regular basis before you start the claim.
You will then be responsible for paying your rent to your Landlord.
If you have any concerns or would like to know more about the new benefit, please get in touch.
How to apply for Universal Credit
As part of the Government's Welfare Reform changes, the total amount of benefit that can be received will be a set amount for both single people and couples. This is called the benefit cap.
The benefit cap was brought in to make sure that no family received more in benefits than the average working household.
The cap is currently
£384.62 a week if you are a couple or have children
£257.69 a week if you are a single person
If you are working age and claiming Housing Benefit or Universal Credit for help with your rent, this will be reduced by 14% if you have one empty bedroom, or 25% for 2 spare rooms or more.
There are rules about children and bedroom entitlement.
Citizens Advice Bureau have a calculator for working out how many bedrooms you are entitled to bedroom calculator
If you have non-dependent adults living with you (such as children 18 and over) this can affect your benefits.
The Department for Work and Pensions or local authority will look at the income of each adult in your household as this affects which deduction they take.
Interested? Want to know more?
The Money Advice Service website has further information on all of the above.
Please contact us if you would like an appointment to see us or if you would like advice via email
We also help with
Disability benefits
We can advise and support you with claims for Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments, and Attendance Allowance. If you would like to check if you are entitled, please contact us.
Council tax
All claims for Council Tax reduction have to be made online, through the website of your local authority. It is important that you do this if you have claimed Universal Credit as U.C will not pay your Council Tax.
Grants
There are many charities and grants available depending on where you live, your personal circumstances, what your occupation is or was, and if you were once in any of the British Forces. We can signpost or refer to any organisation that we think might be able to help you.
Loan sharks
Be very careful about borrowing money or accepting goods from anyone not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. They often charge very high interest rates and demand unaffordable repayments. Lenders such as these are known as Loan Sharks.
Not sure what a loan shark is?
If you can answer yes to one or more of these questions you might be borrowing from a loan shark:
- Did they offer you a cash loan?
- Did they not give you paperwork?
- Did they add huge amounts of interest or APR to your loan?
- Have they threatened you?
- Are you scared of people finding out?
- Have they taken your bank card, benefit card, passport, watch or other valuables from you?
Speak in confidence to one of our Money Advisors, or contact the Illegal Money Team available 24/7 on 0300 555 2222 for anonymous information taken in the strictest of confidence.
Advice on the Cost of Living Crisis
Many of us are struggling with the rising costs of fuel and food and the cost of living generally. Our Money Advisors are here to help and the Income Team want to support you. Please get in touch on 01386 420800.
There are various websites offering advice or where you can apply for support too.
Martin's Money Tips (moneysavingexpert.com)
Get help with the cost of living - Citizens Advice
Act On Energy - Energy Efficiency, Grants & Advice
Get Help - National Energy Action (NEA)
