Finances

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Financial help and support that individuals are entitled to whilst redundant.

Claiming benefits

If you are unemployed, you can find information about Jobcentre Plus services and claiming benefits, such as Jobseekers Allowance. You will be given an appointment to come into one of over 750 job centres for personal help and advice on finding work.

To make a claim for Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) you will need the following information:

• National Insurance Number
• Details of rent or mortgage
• Details of past or present employment
• Adults who live in your home
• Details of other income and savings, including those of a spouse or partner

You can call 0800 0 55 66 88 (8am-6pm Mon-Fri) or claim online.

Extra support is available if you are still unemployed and claiming JSA after 3 months and intensive support is available after 6 months of unemployment. This support can include:

• Help setting up a new business – advice on creating a business plan, plus funding for the first few months of trading
• New training places - extra funding for training places to help you to increase your chances of getting a job. You can enhance your current skills with additional qualifications and training or try out new sectors and gain new skills
• Volunteering options – more opportunities to volunteer to help keep your skills and experience up to date as well as developing new skills
• Recruitment subsidies – the opportunity to work with an employer who receives a subsidy to take on redundant staff and supplies an in-house training support package

For more information on any of the above, visit the Back to Work section on the Direct Gov website.

Help with jobs and benefits

Jobcentre Plus can help with financial support for those who are unable to work. Support is available if you are out of work and looking for a job, want to find out about learning or training opportunities, can’t work at the moment or need financial help.

For more information visit the Jobcentre Plus website.

Help for people on a low income

If you are on a low income due to reduced working hours, you may be entitled to a wide range of help, ranging from ensuring you receive a paid living wage or help with additional bills and a top-up to your income.

The National Minimum Wage (Adults £5.73 p/hour) along with Working Tax Credits and other benefits, provide a guaranteed income of at least £292 p/week for families with one child and one full-time worker, equivalent to over £7.38 p/hour. Visit the Employment section of Direct Gov website for more information.

Help with fuel bills

If you are on a low income and either you are disabled, have a disabled child or a child under 5, you may be entitled to Cold Weather Payments when temperatures are low. You don’t need to apply; you’ll get the payment as long as you qualify.

To find out if you are eligible, visit the Money, Tax and Benefits section of Direct Gov website.

If you do not qualify, there are other ways of saving money on energy bills. A new package of support is available to help with loft and cavity wall insulation and a range of energy-saving devices. In addition, pensioners and low-income households may also qualify for free energy-saving improvements to their homes.

For more information, visit the ACT ON CO2 website or contact their advice line on 0800 512 012.

Help with money problems

If you find that your finances have become a problem there is a range of help to make it easier for you to get back onto an even footing:

• Debt relief - The cost of becoming bankrupt currently results in the lack of opportunity for the poorest to make a fresh start. For information and guidance on Debt Relief Orders, contact the National Debtline on 0808 808 400 or visit their website.
• Credit card repayments - If you are having trouble paying your credit card bills, contact the company to discuss a realistic repayment plan with the help of a debt advice agency, such as National Debtline. Credit card companies have signed up a set a ‘fair principles’ that commit them to putting an end to rapid increases in interest rates and a ‘breathing space’ of up to 60days to borrowers in difficulty. For more information, look at the Choosing and Using credit card factsheet and impartial advice from the Financial Services Authority on the Money Made Clear website.

Housing

If your job has been affected by redundancy or restructuring you may be worried about keeping up with your mortgage repayments. Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible for one of the following schemes:

• Homeowners Mortgage Support - now available to help homeowners who suffer a temporary income shock. It means that eligible homeowners will be able to make smaller mortgage repayments for up to two years, without the risk of losing their homes. Visit DirectGov’s Homeowners Mortgage Support pages for more information.
• Support for Mortgage Interest – may help you with your mortgage interest payments to enable you to stay in your home if you’ve been on means-tested benefits for 13 weeks or more, or if you are on a low income with limited savings. For more information visit the Jobcentre Plus’ Support for Mortgage Interest page or contact your local Jobcentre.
• Mortgage Rescue Scheme – designed to help stop your home being repossessed if this would mean you would become homeless. If you become homeless you are entitled to support from your local council, but if you are only unable to meet your mortgage repayments temporarily, a housing association may buy a share in your home. This would cut your monthly repayments. However if you are in more serious difficulties, a housing association could buy your home and you would be able to stay there as a tenant. Contact your local council’s Housing Department or your local Citizens Advice Bureau for more details.
• Talk to your lender about cutting your monthly payments - new rules introduced in November 2008 state repossession should always be a last resort.
• You may be able to get free legal advice from your local county court. In about 85% of cases this service avoids immediate repossession.

Housing Benefits

If you need financial help to pay all or part of you rent, you may get Housing Benefit, provided that your income and capital (savings and investments) are below a certain level. If you rent from a private landlord, there is a new way of working out Housing Benefit, known as Local Housing Allowance.

Your local council can help with advice on rented accommodation or social housing and can tell you what help you may be able to receive, including entitlements to temporary housing if you are at risk of becoming homeless.

For more information contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or the National Homelessness Advice Service.