THOSE claiming Universal Credit and other benefits can claim freebies and discounts that could be worth up to £10,250 a year.
Struggling households can claim a number of perks to help with the costs of and they can save you a small fortune.
The freebies and discounts include support with , food prescriptions and .
While you may not be eligible for all of the benefits on offer, there's the potential to save up to £10,250 a year.
Some of the support may even be available to those who are struggling but not in receipt of .
So, here are all the freebies and discounts available in April:
Discounted broadband and mobile contracts – £370
Those receiving and other qualifying benefits can cut the price of their and mobile contracts using social tariffs.
Social broadband tariffs are available for as little as £12.50 a month, compared to an average broadband cost of £26.90, according to Uswitch.
Based on those prices, you could save more than £170 a year on broadband costs.
Similarly can cut your costs.
For example, the O2 Essentials plan is £10 a month compared to an average cost of £27 for a SIM and handset in 2023, according to Uswitch data.
So over a year you could save more than £200 by switching to a social tariff.
The exact criteria to qualify varies depending on which provider you decide to go with, so do your research before signing any contracts.
There's a list of all the providers which offer social tariffs on regulator ‘s website.
Alternatively, you can use tool, created with Nous, to find out whether you qualify for cheaper broadband at nous.co/thesun.
Council tax – £2,280
is classed as a priority – so if you don't pay you could end up in .
But, if you're struggling to make ends meet there's a chance you can cut the price or maybe get the bill wiped completely.
is a scheme that grants those on a low income or benefits money off the bill.
The discount you get varies depending on your circumstances and where you live.
That said, if you do get it wiped completely it can be worth thousands of pounds, with the average Band D council tax bill currently standing at £ 2,280 a year.
Check out what help you can get by using the Government's online tool at gov.uk/apply-for-council-tax-discount.
Energy bill help – up to £2,000
Several suppliers offer help through hardship funds worth up to £2,000.
Some firms offer energy-saving gadgets instead of cash grants too.
You'll need to contact your supplier directly to see what its eligibility criteria is and what you could get.
But, the Support Fund offers grants of up to £2,000 and is .
If you don't qualify for help through your energy firm, there are a number of and organisations that offer cash to struggling families.
Turn2Us has a free grants search tool so you can find out what help is available to you.
Plus, the , which helps families with the rising , reopened this month and will run through to March 2026.
Through the fund households can get help via cash grants, energy or supermarket vouchers, and more.
The support is issued by local so you should contact yours to see what's available.
You can do this by using the Government's council locator tool online.
Pregnancy grant – £500
The Sure Start Maternity grant is a one-off payment worth £500 to .
You'll qualify if you're already claiming benefits and expecting your first child, or if you have children already and are expecting twins or triplets.
New parents must claim the grant within 11 weeks of the baby's due date or within six months after the baby is born.
To claim, you'll need to print out and fill in the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form.
A professional such as a doctor or midwife must also sign it before you post it – you can send it for free to: Freepost DWP SSMG.
Free childcare – up to £1,769
You might be able to get some of your paid if you claim Universal Credit.
You can get 85% of your costs paid up to a maximum of £1,031.88 for one child or £1,768.94 for two or more children.
You used to have to pay childcare costs yourself up front and then claim the money back through Universal Credit.
But after a change to rules.
Water bill help – £316
Plenty of water companies offer free water-saving devices to help households slash their .
To see what support you might be eligible for contact your supplier or check out the SaveWaterSaveMoney website.
Large families or those with additional medical needs who receive Universal Credit or other benefits may also be eligible for a bill cap under the .
To qualify, you need to have a water meter installed and be able to prove you need to use a lot of water.
You need to have three or more children under the age of 19 living in the house and receive for them.
Reductions vary, but one saver got.
Right now Anglian Water is offering a fixed WaterSure tariff of £310 a year for 2025-26, compared to an average projected bill for those not on the tariff of £626.
Prescription costs – £119
People on certain benefits who can meet specific criteria can get free NHS prescriptions.
You can use the eligibility checker tool on its website to find out if you're eligible.
NHS prescriptions currently cost £9.90 in the UK, so, based on one prescription per month, that's an £118.80 saving over the year.
You might also get help covering dental and eye care costs through the NHS Low Income scheme.
You can even get free wigs and help covering the cost of travel to health appointments.
How much you'll be entitled to depends on financial factors including your outgoings and the amount of savings you have in the bank.
The NHS has outlined more information on how to claim on its website.
Support with travel costs and job applications – up to £150
Universal Credit claimants can get with the Travel Discount.
It's free to apply and cuts the cost of travelling on across , and .
The card is valid for up to three months and is accepted by most train and bus operators including and Stagecoach.
To be eligible applicants must:
- Be claiming Universal Credit or e
- Be between 18 and 24 years' old and have been unemployed for 13 to 39 weeks.
- Be aged 25 and over and unemployed for 13 to 52 weeks.
To apply you'll also need to be actively looking for work.
You can claim your card at a JobCentre Plus office.
Meanwhile, there's the Flexible Support Fund, which is a pot of money that has been set aside by the Government to help people with the costs of getting a job.
The fund is managed by local job centres and can be used to cover the following costs of job hunting including:
- Training for a job, up to £150
- Travel to interviews
- Childcare
- Tools for work
- Cost of medical evidence required by a disabled person
- Clothing and
- Support for single parents in financial emergencies in the first 26 weeks of starting a job.
You can .
Free school meals – up to £655
If you live in England and have children at a state school in reception, year 1 or year 2, they are entitled to regardless of your household income.
However, if you're claiming certain benefits, including , Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and Child Tax Credits, you can get free school meals for older children too.
How you apply depends on your personal circumstances – some people may be able to via their local council, while others might have to speak to their children's school directly.
You can type your postcode into the government's website to see who to contact and how to apply at gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.
The exact amount you'll get depends on where you live, but the help is worth around £460 on average per child per year, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
If you're eligible for free school meals, you may also get similar help during school .
Depending on where you live you could get up to £15 a week, over the 13 weeks of holidays – amounting to £195.
Help to Save – £1,200
Help to Save is a scheme available to those on Universal Credit and offers a 50% bonus on any savings you make.
You can add up to £50 into a Help to Save account every month for up to four years.
So, if you added the maximum amount each month for 48 months, you would end up with a £1,200 bonus.
But you can still get some of the bonus even by saving a small amount – here.
Healthy start – £442
New or expectant parents can get up to £442 worth of free food a year through the .
Anyone more than 10 weeks pregnant or with a child under four years old and on benefits can apply online or via email.
If eligible, you are issued with a card which you can use in a number of supermarkets and retailers.
But you can only use the card to buy certain products such as cow's milk, fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables and tinned pulses.
The full list of benefits qualifying you for the scheme is:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- with a family income of £16,190 or less per year
- with no earned income or total earned income of £408 or less per month for the family
Those eligible can claim £4.25 each week from the 10th week of pregnancy, £8.50 each week from birth to one year old and £4.25 a week for children between one and four years old.
Discounted gym memberships – £240
Those on Universal Credit may also be able to claim discounted gym memberships.
The cheaper tariffs are often available to those receiving a range of benefits including Universal Credit and Jobseeker's Allowance.
Providers offering the tariffs include Better Leisure and Everyone Active, who offer many sports and leisure centres across the country.
There may be some restrictions attached to the tariffs, such as off-peak only access and prices can vary across different locations.
But, at Better Leisure prices can be as low as £5 a month compared to around £25 for its cheapest standard membership.
Household Support Fund – £200
The Household Support Fund (HSF) provides financial help to struggling households and has been extended several times since it was introduced by the in 2021.
The money is distributed from a pot worth £742million, which is given out to local councils to distribute to those most in need in their area.
Each council in has been allocated a share of the £742million fund and can distribute it to residents in need.
Eligibility criteria varies based on where you live but usually help is offered to those on or a low income.
Thousands of hard-up households in can get through the latest round of the fund.
Other schemes will be unveiled soon, so make sure you check with your local council to see what you could be entitled to.
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