£23bn worth of benefits goes unclaimed – check if you are eligible, urges charity

• Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire is highlighting research from Policy in Practice which shows £23 billion of benefits went unclaimed across Great Britain in the past year
• The charity is encouraging South Gloucestershire residents to check if they are entitled to any support which they are not currently claiming
• The call comes amid the ongoing cost of living crisis which is continuing to make life difficult for many despite falling inflation

People in the region who are struggling should check if they can claim benefits following news £23 billion goes unclaimed.

Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire is highlighting research from Policy in Practice.

The research shows the total of unclaimed benefits and social tariffs in Great Britain has risen by 21% on last year’s estimate.

Policy in Practice’s research shows £8.3 billion of the total is unclaimed Universal Credit – up from £7.6 last year.

The research identifies lack of awareness, complexity of applications processes and stigma around claiming are the main barriers to people receiving the benefits they are entitled to.

The South Gloucestershire charity wants to get the message out that support is available – and anyone entitled to it should claim it.

In particular, the charity suggests there is a misconception that people cannot claim Universal Credit if they are working.

But the benefit is open to people even if they are in work.

Unclaimed total increases as more become eligible for UC

Some 400,000 households will be moved over to Universal Credit this year from older benefits. The research shows the more households become eligible for it, the more miss out on claiming it.

Universal Credit remains the largest share of the unclaimed total – followed by council tax support, Carer’s Allowance and Pension Credit.

There are benefits calculators available online including on the Citizens Advice website.

Alternatively, anyone wanting to claim Universal Credit for the first time can call the Help To Claim team [a national service provided by Citizens Advice] on 0800 144 8 444.

National Citizens Advice data shows the cost-of-living crisis is continuing to make life difficult for many despite recent developments like the fall in inflation.

Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire’s own figures show April saw a 64.2% rise in client numbers compared to April 2023.

Why it is worth applying

Emmanuelle Claverie is Lead Supervisor at Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire and leads a team of Advisers.

She said: “A lot of people think if you’re working you won’t be entitled to Universal Credit. That’s not necessarily the case.

“Universal Credit is made up of different elements depending on what people are earning, whether they have children and whether they have caring responsibilities. It all adds up.

“You can be on what might be considered a high income but have expensive rent and a lot of childcare costs.

“This means you could be entitled to claim a lot more than if you were single and own your own home.”

Emmanuelle added it is worth claiming even a small amount of Universal Credit, because other payments could become available.

She said: “Even if people are finding they would be entitled to a very small amount of Universal Credit, it is worth applying for it because it open up other entitlements.

“These include social tariffs – for instance for water and broadband – and possible entitlement to Council Tax Reduction, another benefit which is not claimed very much.”

Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire is a local, independent charity which provides free, confidential and impartial advice to anyone who needs it in South Gloucestershire.

It runs face-to-face open-door sessions in Yate, Cadbury Heath, Stoke Gifford, Thornbury, Bradley Stoke, Emersons Green and Lyde Green as well as operating a free Adviceline telephone service.

Anyone in South Gloucestershire seeking free, independent, impartial and confidential advice from Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire can call 0808 278 7947.

The charity’s opening times and contact details are available at: www.southgloscab.org.uk/get-advice/visit-us/