I was losing sleep over money before realising I could claim £7k a year benefits – I can finally enjoy my retirement

RETIRED maintenance manager Stephen Spirrell was struggling to make ends meet and couldn’t sleep properly due to his stress over money.

But when he found out that he qualified for one of the most under-claimed benefits, Pension Credit, as well as other support, it transformed his retirement from constant worry to finally being able to relax.

The married grandfather, from Wiltshire, discovered he was eligible for around £7,000 a year in benefits after calling the helpline of charity Independent Age at the end of last year.

Stephen, 80, found out he and his wife Margaret were entitled to the guarantee element of Pension Credit as their income was below the threshold for the benefit when his eligibility for Attendance Allowance was taken into account.  

The charity found he was also eligible for a higher rate of Attendance Allowance, reduced council tax, and that his wife could apply for Carer’s Allowance.

The charity is now helping him apply for all the extra support.

Before that, the couple received the state pension along with £90 a month private pension but were struggling to make ends meet.

Stephen says: “Before, our situation was going rapidly downhill.

“I was losing a lot of sleep at night about money but now I’m a lot more comfortable and relaxed.

“Now I don’t have to worry about everything that could go wrong, which is lovely.”

MISSING OUT ON MILLIONS

Stephen is just one of millions of people who are entitled to more benefits than they are claiming, often totalling thousands of pounds a year.

Last month The Sun revealed that £23billion worth of means-tested benefits and social tariffs could go unclaimed this financial year.

The average household could be £2,700 a year better off if they get all they are due, according to an analysis of official data by organisation Policy in Practice.

It estimates that a staggering £8.3billion of Universal Credit goes unclaimed by more than 1.4million people who could claim an average of £5,772 a year.

If the £23billion total also included unclaimed disability benefits and some other discretionary payments, it could top £30billion.

‘Now I can afford to buy essentials’

June Andrews, 81, from Newmarket, was also struggling until she found out she wasn’t claiming all the support she was entitled to – and now she says she can finally enjoy life again.

“Everything was going up – gas, electric, food and water, so I would worry about being able to pay for everything. My rent increased too,” she said.

“As everything goes up, the income you have starts to dwindle and it’s a struggle to cover the bills. I wasn’t using hot water and I wasn’t eating properly.”

June said she had “almost given up trying” when she called charity Independent Age’s helpline to see if she was entitled to any support.

June, whose husband Robin died in 2021, was living on her state pension and a small private pension until she asked Independent Age for help.

“They were very understanding and it went so smoothly,” she added.

She now receives Attendance Allowance of around £3,800 a year because of her health needs including heart problems.

She also receives £450 off her council tax and further help with her rent through housing benefit. 

June is one of nearly 300,000 pensioners missing out on £1.2billion in pension age housing benefit. An average claim is around £4,300 a year.

June, who worked for Marks & Spencer until she was 75 and took on cleaning jobs after that, uses the extra money to pay towards transport to hospital appointments.

“It also means I can walk into town now and get a taxi back up the steep hill where I live – previously I couldn’t afford it,” she said.

“I can enjoy life again without constantly having to think about what I can or can’t have.

“I still don’t overspend, but I can afford to buy essential things like glasses and see friends again.

“I have a gardener who comes in occasionally and I get support from a cleaner too. It’s made a huge difference to me.

“I was in desperation before getting the support. I would encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out to see what help is out there.”

‘NO ONE TELLS YOU’

Jenni Brown*, 37, an NHS healthcare support worker from Manchester, is £400 a month better off after doing a benefits check.

When she applied for a loan with community development finance institution (CDFI) Salad Money in November 2022, its built-in benefits calculator told her she may be entitled to disability living allowance for her youngest child, who is autistic.

She applied for the support immediately and was approved three months later.

She now receives around £400 a month to help with her 12-year-old son’s costs.

Jenni, who has two older children aged 16 and 19, said; “He has sensory issues, so only likes certain clothes and textures.

“We also used it to buy him a laptop as he was struggling to do his homework. That’s made it much less stressful.

“It’s made a big difference to us.

“The price of everything has gone up so much in the last few years, especially food.”

She said she had never heard about DLA until the Salad calculator flagged it up.

“No one tells you and you don’t find out unless you ask. It really opened my eyes.”

HOW TO GET HELP

To find out if you are entitled to extra support, like Stephen, June and Jenni, use a free benefits calculator.

Options include betteroffcalculator.co.uk, or the calculators at turntous.org.uk or entitledto.co.uk.

These will tell you the benefits you could get and how much you might receive, as well as what could happen if your circumstances change, like you start work or increase your house. 

To get accurate advice, you’ll need to have details for you and, if necessary, your partner about your savings, income and any existing benefits or pensions.

You’ll also need to have a record of things you pay out for, such as rent, mortgage, childcare and bills.

For face-to-face help, your local Citizens Advice office advises on benefits entitlement.StepChange at stepchange.org can also help you put a money plan in place and support you to apply for the benefits you are entitled to.

You can call Independent Age’s free and confidential helpline on 0800 319 6789.