CIS Cost of Living Tips

With the cost of living in the UK rising, there are many support options for individuals and families directly from the Government

Millions of people are not claiming what they are entitled to and there are support schemes for people who are not just unemployed

We have put together few tips and some useful links for you to check your eligibility for benefits and what schemes are available to you and your family.

Benefits Calculator

You can use a free independent, and anonymous benefits calculator to check what you are entitled to. Visit https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators and choose from a selection of different calculators.

Cost of Living Payment

The Government has announced further cost of living payments between spring 2023 and spring 2024. Most people should have received their 2022 payment, but please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payment for accurate information.

Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS)

You should have received a £400 discount to help with your energy bills between October 2022 and March 2023 This would have been applied to your household electricity bill so please check you have received this. Further information can be found here: https://www gov uk/get-help-energy-bills/getting-discount-energy-bill

Tax-Free Childcare

You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the cost of childcare You will need to set up an online childcare account, and for every £8 you pay into this account the Government will pay £2 to use to pay your provider Please visit https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare for further information.

Marriage Allowance

Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband wife or civil partner. This reduces their tax by up to £252 in the tax year.

To benefit as a couple you (as the lower earner) must normally have an income below your Personal Allowance - this is usually £12,570

When you transfer some of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner you might have to pay more tax yourself but you could still pay less as a couple

More information can be found here https //www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance