AFA Other Welfare Benefits
On this page
What is it?
- Pension Credit is for people over state pension age who have low or no income.
- It is a weekly benefit to boost your income
- Pension Credit can be backdated for up to 3 months before you apply if you were eligible during that time.
- Up to £10,000 savings allowed without affecting entitlement
- There are extra allowances if you are a Carer, if you are responsible for Children or if you have a Severe Disability
You’ll also be eligible to:
- Apply for a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over
- Get help with NHS costs
How to Claim
1) Claim online on GOV.UK (if you already claim State Pension and there aren’t any children included in your claim)
2) Call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234 and they can fill in the application for you over the phone (Mon to Fri, 8am-6pm).
What is it
- Child Benefit is a welfare benefit administered by HMRC towards the cost of any Child under 16 (or Under 20 in some circumstances).
- There’s no limit to how many children you can claim for.
- Usually is it paid every 4 weeks
- Only one adult can claim Child Benefit for each child.
Child Benefit does not affect the amount of Universal Credit entitlement. However it does count towards the Benefit Cap
How to Claim
- The easiest way to claim is online – Click the link below to start a claim online
- Alternatively, call the Child Benefit Enquiry Line on 0300 200 3100
What is it?
A disability benefit for Children under 16. (NB: DLA used to be for Adults and there may be some people still receiving it)
- Non-means tested
- “They need much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability”
- The assessment is based on Needs during the Day vs. Night
- Medical Evidence is key as there is no face to face assessment
Other benefits of getting DLA:
- Parent can claim Carer’s Allowance/Carer Element/Carer premium (Pension Credit/Housing Benefit)
- Can claim Disabled Child Element
- Disabled Child Premium (Housing Benefit)
- Benefit Cap exemption
How to Claim
Disability Living Allowance helpline : 0800 121 4600
What is it?
- Housing Benefit is a welfare benefit administered by the Local Authority for people on no/low income towards their rent costs.
- It is paid direct to the landlord.
- A person will not be eligible if savings are £16,000+
- For the majority of people, Housing Benefit has been replaced by Universal Credit (Housing Costs Element).
- However, the following people can still make a claim:
- Pension age clients,
- People in Temporary Accommodation
- People in Sheltered Accommodation
- People in Supported Housing
The amount that can be claimed will depend on social or private rented tenants. See here for further detail here
For couples where one person is over and one person is under state pension age, seek advice from Citizens Advice
What is it?
- Council Tax Reduction (sometimes called Council Tax Support) is a means-tested welfare benefit administered by Local Authorities for people on no/low income towards Council Tax bills.
- It will be applied directly to the Council Tax bill
- Some Local Authorities allow 100% Council Tax Reduction meaning eligible residents can have a their Council Tax bill covered in full by Council Tax Support. As of 2026/2027 Wandsworth Council does allow full Council Tax Reduction for some people.
When someone changes address, they will need to re-apply for Council Tax Support
Most councils, including Wandsworth, have a joint application form for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.If a person does not need to apply for Housing Benefit , they can indicate a Council Tax Reduction claim only on the form.
- If a client needs help applying for any of the above benefits
- If a client has received a negative decision on any of the above benefits
- If a client wants further information on any of the above benefits