There might be times when a young person needs advice on the application of welfare benefits.
This page provides general guidance only, remember that the information can change so always check benefits and eligibility on the Citizens Advice website
When a young person is looking into applying for a benefit because of their circumstances it’s helpful for them to bring the following to the advice appointment:
- bank, building society or credit union account details (call the Universal Credit helpline if you do not have one)
- email address
- information about their housing, for example how much rent they pay
- details of income, for example payslips
- details of savings and any investments
- details of how much they pay for childcare if they're applying for help with childcare costs
If the right information isn't provided when they apply it might affect when they get paid or how much they get.
For a Universal Credit application they will also have to verify their identity online. They will need some proof of identity for this, for example
- driving licence
- passport
- debit or credit card
Depending on the young person's circumstances, they might need to provide evidence of:
- How much rent they pay - this can be found on the rent agreement
- Landlord’s address - this can be found on the rent agreement
- Any savings they have and any other ‘capital’ investments, eg shares or property. They will need to provide a bank statement with this evidence.
- Any income that’s not from work, eg insurance plan.
- Details of how much they earn from work, eg recent payslips
- How much they pay for childcare (if they want to claim for childcare costs), eg an invoice or receipt
- Any other benefits they're getting, eg benefits letters or a bank statement
- Child benefit reference numbers for any children they have. This can be found on letters to them about child benefit, it will start with 'CHB' and is made up of 8 numbers and 2 letters, eg CHB12345678 AB
Unable to work due to ill health
If they have been signed off work from their GP they will need to bring evidence of this to the appointment, such as a doctors note, “fit note”
You can check on the Citizens Advice website under Benefits and click, Benefit calculator to find out what the young person might be entitled to.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
If the young person is looking to make an application for personal independence payment (PIP) it can help the adviser to have as much information about their health condition as possible. This could be;
- Doctors/specialist letters discussing their condition
- Doctors ‘fit note’ - ‘getting signed off’
- Appointments relating to their condition
- Current medication they are taking. This can be pictures of medicine boxes or a repeat prescription
- contact details of your GP or other health professionals you deal with
- the dates and details of any stays in hospital or residential care
They will also need the following:
- Full name
- Address
- Phone number
- National Insurance number
- Bank or building society account details
- Nationality or immigration status and
- if they’ve been abroad for more than 4 weeks at a time in the last 3 years
Remember that the information can change so always check the benefits and eligibility on the Citizens Advice website