What council tax support is there for single people
If you live on your own, you can get 25% off your council tax bill.
This also applies if there is one adult and one student living together in a property, or if there is one adult and one person classed as severely mentally impaired in the home.
If you live with someone who doesn’t have to pay council tax, such as a carer or someone who is severely mentally impaired, you could get a larger reduction too, of up to 50%.
And, if you live in an all-student household, you could get a 100% discount.
Child Benefit limits raised
The Government is upping the threshold from which parents have to start paying back Child Benefit from £50,000 to £60,000.
Meanwhile, the upper threshold from which parents have to pay back all of their Child Benefit is rising from £60,000 to £80,000.
It means for those where one partner is earning between £50,000 and £60,000, you will be able to receive more Child Benefit.
Meanwhile, those earning £60,000 to £80,000 will now receive some Child Benefit whereas currently they don’t.
Laura added: “The catch is that the benefit is based on both parents’ income – meaning if either of you earns more than the thresholds you’ll lose entitlement to the benefit.
“Families also need to claim the Child Benefit, they won’t automatically receive it.”
Marriage allowance – explained
Married couples on a low income could save £252 a year with the marriage allowance scheme.
It allows one partner to share 10% of their £12,570 tax-free personal allowance with the other to reduce their tax bill.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) believe up to two million couples are missing out on the cash help.
Is your child eligible for free school meals?
All year 1 and 2 students in England are eligible for free school meals if they attend a state school.
However, if you claim select benefits, such as Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Child Tax Credits, you can get free school meals for older children too.
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.
When will the state pension rise?
Pensioners are in for a cash boost in less than a week.
With the triple lock remaining in place, the full state pension will increase by £901 on April 8.
The triple lock system sees the state pension rise in line with whatever is highest out of: wages for May to July, 2.5% or September’s inflation figures.
Pensioners to get boost worth up to £5,645 in days
1.5 million pensioners are to receive a cash boost worth up to £5,644 on top of their state pension in a matter of days.
It comes as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) boosts attendance allowance payments by 6.7%.
You can get attendance allowance as long as you’ve reached state pension age (66) and meet the following criteria:
- You have a physical or mental disability or both
- Your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself
- You have needed that help for at least six months (unless you’re terminally ill)
This change will come into effect from April 8.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
