Tick the situations that apply
Entitlements are not handouts for other people
Many routes are designed for exactly the normal household moments people delay checking: income drops, pension-age income, childcare costs, caring responsibilities and school costs. The official calculators are the place to estimate properly.
Sources and useful links
The 12 most commonly missed UK entitlements (and who claims each)
The UK welfare and tax-credit system has roughly £23 billion of unclaimed entitlements every year per IFS estimates — not because people don't qualify, but because they don't know to apply. This page lists the dozen entitlements most often missed, who's eligible, and the official gov.uk route to claim each.
1. Pension Credit (1.5m+ pensioners under-claim)
Who: state-pension-age individuals with income below £218.15/week (single) or £332.95/week (couple) in 2026/27 figures.
Why it matters: Pension Credit topping up income to those thresholds is automatic, but the "passport" effect is bigger — it triggers council tax reduction, free TV licence (75+), cold weather payments, housing benefit and warm home discount. The headline cash benefit is often dwarfed by the passport benefits.
Claim: gov.uk — Pension Credit.
2. Marriage Allowance (2m+ couples eligible but not claiming)
Who: couples where one partner earns under the Personal Allowance and the other is a basic-rate taxpayer (under £50,270 in 2026/27).
Worth: up to £252/year, plus backdating up to 4 tax years (£1,260 potential lump-sum). See our Marriage Allowance page.
Claim: gov.uk — Marriage Allowance.
3. Tax-Free Childcare (under-used vs free childcare hours)
Who: working parents of children up to age 11 (or 17 with disability), each parent earning at least 16 × minimum wage per week, neither earning above £100,000 adjusted net income.
Worth: 20% government top-up on childcare costs, capped at £2,000 per child per year (£4,000 if disabled).
Claim: gov.uk — Tax-Free Childcare. See our calculator.
4. Carer's Allowance + Carer's Credit (1.4m unpaid carers eligible)
Who: people caring for 35+ hours/week for someone receiving Attendance Allowance, PIP daily living, DLA care, or Armed Forces Independence Payment.
Worth: Carer's Allowance £83.30/week in 2026/27 (means-tested below pension age), plus Class 1 NI credits towards State Pension. The NI credits are often more valuable long-term than the cash.
Claim: gov.uk — Carer's Allowance.
5. Attendance Allowance (1m+ pensioners with care needs)
Who: state-pension-age individuals who need help with daily living because of physical or mental disability.
Worth: £72.65 or £108.55/week (low/high rate) in 2026/27. Not means-tested. Does not count as taxable income.
Claim: gov.uk — Attendance Allowance.
6. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for under-state-pension-age
Who: under-state-pension-age individuals with care or mobility needs from disability or long-term health condition.
Worth: two components, each at standard or enhanced rate. Up to £187.45/week combined. Not means-tested. Not taxable.
Claim: gov.uk — PIP.
7. Universal Credit (1m+ working-age households under-claim)
Who: working-age households with low income and limited savings. Working is fine — UC is taper-tested, not all-or-nothing.
Why missed: the "I'm working, I won't qualify" assumption. In fact a couple with 2 children can earn £30,000+/year and still receive partial UC.
Claim: gov.uk — Universal Credit.
8. Council Tax Reduction (varies by council)
Who: low-income households — eligibility set by each local authority, varies significantly. Pensioners get national-rules protection; working-age depends on the council.
Worth: up to 100% off council tax in some councils for some claimants.
Claim: apply through your local council — find yours at gov.uk.
9. Single Person Council Tax Discount (often missed when partner moves out)
Who: any adult living alone, or with people not counted (under-18s, full-time students, severely mentally impaired).
Worth: 25% off council tax permanently.
Claim: via your local council.
10. NHS prescription / dental / eye-test exemptions
Who: recipients of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, UC (in certain circumstances), income-based JSA/ESA, NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate; under-16, 16-18 in full-time education, pregnant or up to 1 year postpartum, certain medical conditions.
Worth: £9.90/item prescription charge, dental band 2 £77.90, eye tests £25-£35. NHS prescription pre-payment certificate at £32.05/3 months or £114.50/year is the smart move for anyone paying for >14 items/year.
Claim: NHSBSA — Help with NHS costs.
11. Warm Home Discount + Cold Weather Payments
Who: Warm Home Discount — certain Pension Credit, UC and low-income households. Cold Weather Payments — Pension Credit, income-related JSA/ESA, UC (no work), Support for Mortgage Interest.
Worth: Warm Home Discount £150 off winter electricity bill. Cold Weather Payments £25/week of qualifying cold weather.
Claim: gov.uk — Warm Home Discount.
12. Help to Save (low-income workers)
Who: recipients of Working Tax Credit, or UC with household earnings of £793.17+ in the last assessment period (2026/27 figures).
Worth: 50% government bonus on savings up to £50/month over 4 years — maximum £1,200 bonus on £2,400 saved.
Claim: gov.uk — Help to Save.
The "I won't qualify because I work" myth
Many entitlements taper rather than cut off — meaning you can be working full-time and still receive partial support:
- Universal Credit — tapers at 55p of UC reduction per £1 of net earnings above the work allowance.
- Tax-Free Childcare — only cuts off at £100,000 adjusted net income, not at any earnings threshold.
- Marriage Allowance — works specifically for working households.
- Most council tax discounts (single person, disability) — no income test at all.
The general rule: check the official calculator, don't assume. The eligibility rules are usually more generous than they sound.
Sources we verify against
- gov.uk — Benefits A-Z
- gov.uk — Benefits calculators (official)
- entitledto.co.uk (independent calculator)
- IFS — benefit take-up research
How UK Tax Drag holds itself to account
Every page is reviewed against the editorial standards, written from primary sources, sourced openly, and corrected publicly. No affiliate revenue. No sponsored content. No paid placements.