Our benefits coverage

In our relentless effort to put more money into the pockets of vulnerable customers, we are proud to offer the widest benefits coverage available in the market.

While most of the benefits calculators include means-tested, contribution and non-contribution; we also cover passported benefits, benefits for energy bills and social tariffs. Adding these additional benefits is especially important for the most vulnerable segments (e.g. low-income families, disabled or elderly people) as they increase their income by up to £1,900/year.

Now, Let’s dive into the main characteristics of these types of benefits and the list of benefits we currently cover.

Types of households

Inbest benefits calculator covers the following types of households:We cover the following means-tested benefits:

All nationalities including UK, Irish, and European; and
Students.

Inbest benefits calculator does not cover the following types of households::

UK nationals living outside the UK.
People or strike.
People living permanently in residential care or a nursing home.
Prisoners.

Means-tested benefits

Mean-tested benefits are payments available to households whose income and capital (their ‘means’) are below the amount the government estimates that they need to live on (their ‘needs’).

We cover the following means-tested benefits:

Universal credits;
Pension credit;
Housing benefits;
Council tax reduction and Rates relief;
Child tax credit;
Income-based JSA and Income-based ESA; and
Income support and Working tax credit.

Contribution benefits

Contribution benefits are available to help people who have paid enough national insurance contributions over a certain period of time. We cover the following contribution benefits:

Job seekers allowance (JSA); and
Employment support allowance (ESA).

Non-contribution benefits

Non-contribution benefits are payments available to households with special circumstances or to help with the extra costs of having a disability or caring for someone with a disability. Households qualify if they meet the eligibility criteria regardless of their income or capital.

We cover the following non-contribution benefits:

Child benefits;
Council tax discount;
Disability living allowance and Scottish child disability payment;
Personal independence payment and Adult disability payment;
Attendance allowance and Pension age disability payment;
Carers allowance and Carer support payment.

Passported benefits

Passported benefits are benefits or grants that some people are entitled to because of their entitlement to means-tested benefits. Passported benefits are a powerful tool to provide extra support to groups that are especially vulnerable such as low-income families with children or older adults.

We cover the following passported benefits:

Free School meals and School clothing costs;
Tax-free childcare and Free-childcare;
Sure Start grant and Healthy Start (Best Start grant and Best Start food in Scotland);
Caring allowance supplement;
Support for mortgage interest loan;
Help to save; and
Funeral support payment.

We also cover the following passported benefits in Scotland:

Scottish child payment and Kinship care allowance;
Education maintenance allowance; and
Job start payment.

Discounted tariffs

Benefits for energy bills are government-regulated grants that help vulnerable households pay for their energy costs, while social tariffs are discounted or capped pricing schemes offered by water, broadband, and phone providers.

These benefits and social tariffs are powerful tools for reducing households’ basic expenses, especially during the cost of living crisis. However, most people are unaware that these deals exist, and it’s estimated that only 14% of the 5 million eligible people are taking advantage of them.

Additionally, telecom, transport, and the NHS offer discounted tariffs for low-income households.

We cover the following benefits to help households manage day-to-day expenses:

Winter fuel payment, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, and Warm home discount;
Winter heating payment and Child Winter Heating Payment;
Energy Grants;
Water social tariff;
Broadband social tariff, Mobile social tariff, and Free TV Licence
Free Bus Pass and Senior Rail Card;
NHS Low Income Scheme.

Home Improvements Grants

Home Improvement Grants include Retrofitting Grants and Housing Adaptation Grant for People with Disability.

Retrofitting Grants can offer valuable funding for home improvements to enhance insulation, replace boilers, and lower energy costs. We cover the following retrofitting grants:

We cover the following retrofitting grants:

ECO4 Scheme;
Great British Insulation Scheme;
Eco-Flex Scheme (Coming soon);
Boiler Upgrade Scheme;
Home Upgrade Grant (Coming soon);
Sustainable Warmth (Coming soon);
Nest Scheme;
Warmer Homes Scotland;
Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan; and
Affordable Warmth Scheme.

Housing Adaptation Grant for People with Disability provides vital funding for home improvements so people with a disability can live there safely and comfortably:

We cover the following Housing Adaptation Grant for People with Disability:

Disabled Facilities Grants; and
Grants for Care Equipment and Adapting Your Home.

Discretionary Support Schemes

Discretionary Support Schemes are flexible programs run by your council to help households in financial difficulty. They provide targeted support to those who don’t qualify for national benefits or need additional help.

We cover the following Discretionary Support Schemes:

Discretionary Housing Payment;
Household Support Fund;
Council Tax Discretionary Relief Scheme;
Local Welfare Assistance;
Scottish Welfare fund; and
Discretionary Assistance Fund.