Cost of living financial support

What benefits or payments can I claim?

You may be able to claim financial support or benefits to help with the cost of living, depending on your circumstances.

If you are in debt and need to speak to somebody, please see our list of organisations who can provide debt advice.

Income-related state benefits

An estimated £15 billion of benefits are believed to go unclaimed each year. Use the free Gov.uk benefits calculator to find out what you could get. If you need help to do this, you can contact Citizens Advice Lancashire West.

If you are turned down for a benefit, seek advice on if you can challenge the decision. Many benefit decisions are overturned, and organisations like Citizens Advice can offer advice about challenges.

Discretionary housing payment

A Discretionary Housing Payment is extra money that you may be able to claim to help you pay:

rent (when Housing Benefit does not meet the full rent)
lump sum costs to do with a housing need (such as removal costs)
rent arrears
rent in advance
bonds and deposits

If Housing Benefit or Universal Credit does not cover all of your rent, see Discretionary housing payments to check if you can make a claim.

Council tax support

You may be eligible for council tax support through Wyre Council if you receive certain benefits or are on low income. See Council Tax Support for more details and how you can make a claim.

Pension Credit

Pension Credit provides extra money for living costs and access to other help. Around a third of eligible pensioners do not claim Pension Credit. This is often because they do not know they can.

People of State Pension age may be entitled to Pension Credit even though they may have modest savings, a retirement income, or own their own home. An award of Pension Credit can provide access to a range of other benefits such as help with housing costs, Council Tax, heating bills, and a free TV licence for those aged 75 or over.

Find out if you are eligible and how much you could get by using the Gov.uk Pension Credit calculator.

Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund opens for applications on 3rd June 2024. Please note that this fund will close at the end of September, or before that date if the fund is fully committed before then. Further information on how to apply will be available soon. More information can be found at Household Support Fund page.

Help with energy and water bills

Contact your energy supplier if you are struggling to pay for energy or think you may get into difficulty. If you already have energy debts, some larger suppliers offer grants to help pay this off.

Many energy suppliers are providing support for people during this cost of living crisis. Check your supplier's website or call them to find out what support they can provide for you.

External supplier websites:

Apply for a discount on water bills

Households on low income can apply for financial support through their local water provider. Please visit your local water provider's website to see what support is available.

Other Government energy support

Households are to start receiving £400 off their energy bills from October 2022. The discount will be made in six instalments to help families throughout the winter period. This will be paid automatically, you do not need to apply.

Please be mindful that scammers may contact you asking for your banking information to pay you this grant. This is a scam, the government will not ask you for your private banking information. Visit Money Saving Expert - Watch out for fake scams for advice on how to report scam messages.

Visit Gov.uk - Help for Households for more details about what support is being provided by the Government to help with the cost of living.

If your boiler is broken

If your boiler is broken, you have no heating, or need help with home energy efficiency measures such as insulation, you may be eligible for free or discounted measures. Visit the Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL) website for more information or call 03306 061 488.

Debt advice

If you are in debt, seek advice early, rather than let things spiral out of control. See our debt advice page for full information on what help is available for you.