People losing out on £4billion - how to check which benefits you’re entitled to

Benefit claimants whitethorn beryllium getting acold little than they’re entitled to

A new report has exposed the startling underpayment rates by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Public Accounts Committee study criticised the DWP for its lawsuit work attack and its wide knowing of customers’ experiences, peculiarly those with disabilities and analyzable needs.

The study revealed that payment claimants received implicit £4 cardinal little than they were entitled to during 2023/2024, a important summation from the £3.5 cardinal measured the erstwhile year. However, these figures bash not relationship for ostentation oregon yearly payment uprating.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) recipients, on with different disablement benefits, had the highest underpayment rates, often owed to unrecorded changes successful circumstances. These changes tin scope from income levels, starting oregon stopping education, household deaths, changing doctors, hospitalisation, oregon having a babe among galore others.

The study highlighted the trouble claimants faced erstwhile contacting the DWP to study these changes, particularly implicit the phone. It highlighted that galore calls are going unanswered oregon being enactment connected clasp for an mean of 30 minutes for ESA calls.

It's important to report immoderate changes successful circumstances for a assortment of benefits to guarantee you're inactive receiving the close magnitude you're entitled to. For instance, if you're connected the modular complaint of PIP and your wellness information has worsened since your past assessment, you mightiness beryllium eligible for the precocious rate.

Conversely, if you're claiming Universal Credit and unafraid a occupation that pays supra a definite threshold, you whitethorn beryllium entitled to little payment oregon nary astatine all. If you proceed to assertion aft this alteration successful circumstances, you could beryllium accused of payment fraud and required to repay the benefits you fraudulently received.

The Gov.uk. website suggests utilizing payment calculators oregon checkers to find however overmuch and which benefits you mightiness beryllium eligible for. There are independent, free, and anonymous calculators disposable done Policy successful Practice, Turn2Us, and Entitled To.

The authorities besides provides its ain calculator. For astir of these, you'll request to person definite accusation readily available, specified arsenic day of birth, employment details, disablement information, details of children surviving with you, and accusation connected immoderate savings oregon investments you whitethorn have.

Reacting to the report, a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commented: "We person reduced phoneline waiting times and are providing tailored assistance for customers with further needs portion besides uprating benefits by 1.7% this April to guarantee that customers get each the enactment they are entitled to.

"The study does not see that we are already taking enactment connected fraud and mistake done our caller Fraud Error & Recovery Bill which volition assistance america support claimants by stopping errors earlier alongside redeeming an estimated £1.5 cardinal of payer wealth implicit the adjacent 5 years."