BILL HELP
Little-known discounts to get up to 90% off essential bills and save nearly £2,000 a year – but millions miss out
Plus how to make sure you're not missing out on benefits
MILLIONS of households can get huge discounts on essential bills every year - but plenty of support is going unclaimed.
Social tariffs worth £970million for water will be missed this financial year, according to new estimates by analytics firm Policy in Practice.
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That's worth an average of £160 a year for more than six million households.
Meanwhile, £1.7billion worth of broadband social tariffs is going unclaimed too, meaning 8.4million households miss out on £200 in savings a year, it found.
The tariffs are special low-cost deals offered to low-income households and those on benefits.
Below we explain how to get what you're due.
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Social tariffs for broadband - save £200 a year
There are broadband social tariffs, as well as phone social tariffs.
They are delivered in the same way as a normal broadband or phone deal - the only difference being they are cheaper.
Some providers refer to them as "essential" or "basic" packages.
If anyone in your household is on Universal Credit you will be able to claim a social tariff.
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All major providers also offer help to people on Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support.
Some suppliers also include extra benefits such as personal independent payments (PIP) and Attendance Allowance.
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Ofcom has a of providers offering social tariffs on its website.
You can click through to each provider's website where you'll be able to see eligibility criteria and how to apply.
Prices currently range from £10 to £23 a month, with most tariffs offering broadband speeds at over 30 Mbit/s.
Hyperoptic, Vodafone, Virgin Media, Sky, Now TV and BT are some providers offering social tariffs.
It's worth noting that BT, EE and Plusnet broadband customers can all switch to BT social tariffs.
Plenty of smaller firms offer the tariffs too - check their deals and speeds on offer in our guide.
It's important to do your research before signing up to ensure you're getting the best value for money and the speed you need.
Make sure you’re not missing out on benefits
IT'S crucial for all households to make sure they’re not missing out on benefits.
Recent figures revealed exclusively by The Sun found an estimated £23billion will go unclaimed this financial year - worth an average of £2,700 each.
This includes more than £8billion Universal Credit, £3.4billion Council Tax Support, nearly £2.3billion Carer’s Allowance, more than £2billion Pension Credit and £1.7billion child benefit, according to analytics firm Policy in Practice.
The quickest way to see what benefits you may be able to claim is to use a benefit calculator, such as the free ones by , and .
For each of these, you’ll be asked information about your circumstances, including your current employment and income.
You’ll also need to give information about yourself, including your age and who you live with.
You can then use the contact information on Gov.uk website to get the ball rolling and apply for what you're due.
Of course, remember the tools only provide an indicator of what benefits you can claim.
Social tariffs for water - save £160 a year
All water companies also have social tariffs to help reduce your bills if you're on a low income.
Who's eligible for help and the level of support on offer varies depending on your water provider.
Customers of Thames Water, England’s largest water company, may get a 50% discount if their bill is more than 5% of their net income.
You can apply on the phone by calling 0800 980 8800, Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm.
You'll need a few bits of information to hand such as your income and debts, regular bills and other outgoings as well as your Thames Water account number.
The latter can be found at the top of your bill.
As of April 1, Thames Water now also considers how many people live at your property, on top of comparing water bills to income.
Meanwhile, customers of Severn Trent can access its Big Difference Scheme which can take up to 70% off the average customer bill.
The scheme is typically available to those with a household income below £22,010, unless you have children, which may give you an additional income allowance.
It runs for 12 months at a time, meaning you'll need to reapply at the end of each year-long period.
Yorkshire Water offers a social tariff to households with an income below £19,000 and a water bill of more than £364 a year.
The scheme caps bills at £364 for 2024/25.
Portsmouth Water's social tariff is for households with incomes below £21,000, excluding the following benefits:
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment
- Mortgage Interest Relief
- Attendance Allowance
- Housing / Council Tax Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance
If your application is successful, then your water bill will be capped at a minimum charge of £91.12.
To find out what's on offer from your water company, visit their website or check out the .
You can find out who your local water supplier is by using the tool on the WaterUK website and entering your postcode.
Energy discount schemes - save up to 50% on Sundays or £120 a year
You can get discounts on energy bills too by changing up your usage.
For example, British Gas last month extended its Peak Save scheme offering millions of customers half-price electricity.
It was due to end on March 31, but has been extended until September 8.
The scheme offers qualifying customers half price electricity between 11am and 4pm every Sunday.
The energy firm said over 500,000 customers had already signed up to the scheme, saving a combined £7million between them.
You can sign up to the scheme on British Gas' website by entering your full name, email address and customer reference number.
It will then get in touch if your application is successful and credit back any money saved after taking part each week.
Be aware that can only sign up to the scheme if you have a smart meter that can send half-hourly meter readings.
If you're not with British Gas, Ovo Energy has a similar scheme which rewards customers for reducing their energy consumption during peak times.
Power Move offers customers up to £10 a month if they cut their usage between 6-9pm, Monday to Friday.
Council tax help - save £1,513 a year
Almost 2.3million people are failing to claim £3.4billion in Council Tax Support, worth an average of £1,513 each, according to Policy in Practice estimates.
Council Tax Support is a scheme where those on a low income or benefits can get money off the bill.
You could get a discount of anything up to 90% of your bill through the support.
The unclaimed amount includes almost £1million in pension-age council tax support. The rest is for those of working age.
The average claim for working-age council tax support is £1,464, while the support for pensioners is worth an average of £1,670.
In some cases, if you receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you could get a 100% discount on your bill - meaning it is completely cancelled out.
The support is given out by local councils in England and claiming varies by local authority so will depend on where you live, your income, dependants and other benefits.
Scotland and Wales also have national schemes.
You can find out if you're eligible by using the Government's "Apply for Council Tax Reduction" tool on its website.
You just have to enter your postcode and it will redirect you to your council's website where you can find out more.
The amount of council tax you will get off varies and will likely depend on what band you are in as well.
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Council tax bands range from A to H, with A homes paying the least and H the most.
There are other ways to cut your bill council tax bill too - find out more in our guide.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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