One Martin Lewis fan discovered he was eligible to claim over £500 a month after reading a Money Saving Expert (MSE) newsletter.
In its recent newsletter, the MSE team revealed the story that was shared by one fan on their Money Saver forum.
The story was from “forumite” Jaxster69 claimed he had only realised he was eligible to claim Universal Credit thanks to a link he spotted in one of Martin Lewis ’ weekly emails.
They said: "Thanks to a link I spotted in one of Martin's weekly emails, I discovered I was entitled to some universal credit to boost my income.
“I'm now receiving over £500/month extra - which is helping me a great deal."
In the newsletter, MSE said there were about seven million people in the UK who were “missing out” on benefits they were entitled to.
Martin’s “rule of thumb” is that if your household income is under £40,000 then you should check if you are able to claim anything. He didn't guarantee you could get something - just that it is “worth the time” to check.
The Money Saving Expert also shared this "rule of thumb" with the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sub-committee last year.
People can check whether they are able to claim anything by using the benefit calculators from entitledto, Turn2us, and Policy in Practice. These can be found on the Government's website.
To get an accurate result, you will need to provide the calculator with information on:
- Savings
- Income, including your partner’s - this can include payslips or p45
- Existing benefits and pensions - including anyone living with you
- Outgoings - such as rent, mortgage, childcare payments
- Council tax bill
The whole process should take about 10 minutes, and once completed, you should be able to find out what benefits you could get and how much the payments could be.
The GOV.UK calculator will also share how your benefits will be affected if you start work or increase your hours and how your benefits will be affected if your circumstances change such as if you have a child or move in with a partner.
The Money Saving Expert founder has frequently urged households to “spend a few minutes” check whether they are eligible to claim something.
On his ITV show last year, the Money Saving Expert founder said: "Remember, benefits aren't just for those out of work. 40% of those on Universal Credit are in work."
