adam

Are you missing out on ways to reduce your bills? You may be eligible for these social tariffs

Broadband and internet

If you are getting one of a variety of means tested benefits, you may be able to get a social tariff, making your bills much lower.

For example BT offer a Home Essentials plans from  £15 a month.

First, check if your current provider offers a social tariff. You can apply for most tariffs online, or call your provider and ask to switch.

If your provider doesn’t offer a social tariff, you can switch to one that does. Your provider might let you leave your current contract without paying a penalty fee.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/compare-broadband-deals/broadband-social-tariffs

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/saving-money/social-tariffs

both explain the options and how to apply.

Water

Essex and Suffolk Water offers a low income discount of up to 50% of your bill if one of the following applies to you:

• your total household income is less than £23,933, and your annual water and sewerage bill is more than 3% of your net household income (after housing costs, rent or mortgage payments) or
• someone in your household receives Pension Credit, and your annual water and sewerage bill is 3% or more of your net household income (after housing costs, rent or mortgage payments)

https://www.eswater.co.uk/lowincomediscount gives details of the scheme and how to apply

Watersure – bill cap scheme

This scheme caps your metered bill, so you don't pay extra if you need to use more water due to a large family or a medical condition that requires a lot of water, and you receive income-related benefits.

https://www.eswater.co.uk/watersure gives details of the scheme and how to apply

Energy

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will usually apply the discount to your bill automatically.

You qualify if you are on one of a variety of means tested benefits or on tax credits with a low income and have high energy costs. Your property must have a high energy cost score to be eligible for the scheme. This is not based on the actual energy costs in your energy bill. It’s calculated based on your property’s type, age and floor area.

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme

If you would like help with these or any other subject, please contact Maldon & District Citizens Advice 01621 875774 and an adviser will ring you back,  or via our website www.maldoncitizensadvice.org.uk.  We look forward to hearing from you.

by adam

Might Pension Credit help top up your income?

Pension Credit is a weekly benefit to boost your income and is based on how much money you have coming in. This is a brief outline but we can give you advice if you get in touch.

There are two parts to Pension Credit, called Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit. You might get one or both parts.

Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income to a minimum amount.

Savings Credit is a small top-up for people who have a modest amount of income or savings. Savings Credit is only available if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016.

Could you be eligible?

You need to:

• have reached State Pension age
• not have too much income or savings (there is no fixed upper limit)
• live in the UK

You can still be working, as long as your income isn't too high.

Unlike the State Pension, you don’t need a national insurance record.

If you’re not a British Citizen you can only get Pension Credit if your immigration status lets you claim public funds. In some situations you also need a ‘right to reside’.

You can claim public funds if you have any of the following:

• British or Irish citizenship
• settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme
• indefinite leave - unless you came to the UK on an adult dependent relative visa
• refugee status or humanitarian protection
• right of abode

If you’ve lived outside the UK you’ll need to give evidence to show the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man is your main home. This is known as being ‘habitually resident’. You have to do this even if you’re a British citizen.

If you are over state pension age but your partner isn’t, the rules are slightly more complicated. Citizens Advice has lots of information about this so please get in touch to see if you are eligible.

How Pension Credit is worked out:

• Most of your income is taken into account (but not benefits such as Attendance Allowance and Personal Independence Payment)
• Assumed income from savings and investments over £10,000

This figure is then set against your personal allowances. If you are a carer or are in receipt of disability benefits these personal allowances will be higher and may make it more likely you will qualify for Pension Credit.

How to claim

You can claim at gov.uk or by ringing the Pension Credit claim line 0800 99 1234

If you would like advice and for us to check whether or not you will be eligible for Pension Credit or any other benefits, please do get in touch with Maldon & District Citizens Advice:

01621 875774 – leave a message and an adviser will call you back that day or the next.

Call in at one of our outreach surgeries:

Burnham – Baptist Church Hall, CM0 8HJ Thursdays 10-1.00

Southminster – United Reformed Church, North Street, CM0 7DF Tuesdays 9.30-12.00

Further details are on www.maldoncitizensadvice.org.uk

We look forward to hearing from you and helping you top up your income.

by adam

Scams

I do most of my shopping online. I am always on the lookout for a bargain, especially with the festive season coming up but I’m worried about scammers. What should I look for, to avoid getting caught out? 

You’re not alone, lots of people do their shopping online: it’s convenient and can save you time. But as more and more of us move online, so do scammers, with their tactics becoming more sophisticated all the time. 

While scams can be tricky to recognise there are always things you can look out for and steps you can take to protect yourself from falling foul to a scammer. 

The golden rule to remember is that if it seems too good to be true then it probably is. This goes for products which are ‘must-haves’, are sold out at major retailers, or are heavily discounted. 

If you’re buying from a site you haven’t used before, do some research before hitting buy. Find the company’s return and refund policies so you know your rights if something goes wrong with your purchase. You should also look up the company’s address, this can normally be found in the website’s ‘contact us’ section and should have a street name, not just a post office box. 

Take some time to see what other people have said about the website. Start with an internet search and look at different review websites, don’t rely on reviews the company has put on its own website. 

Be very wary of people contacting you out of the blue on social media or via text and email offering an item for sale or deal on something. Scammers will often ask you to pay in unusual ways, or put you under pressure to buy very quickly. For example, they’ll ask you to send money through a transfer service like MoneyGram or Western Union or pay via vouchers. 

If you do fall victim to a scam, firstly don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed. Scammers are clever and regularly adapt their methods making them harder to spot. Anyone can get scammed. 

Do report it as this alerts authorities to scammers’ techniques and prevents others from being taken advantage of.  

You can report a scam to:  

• Citizens Advice Consumer Service: www.citizensadvice.org.uk or 0808 223 1133 or  
• Action Fraud: www.actionfraud.police.uk 0300 123 2040. 

If you’ve transferred money in the last 24 hours contact the police via the non-emergency number 101,but, if you feel unsafe, use 999. Always contact your bank to let them know you’ve transferred money.  

by adam