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 Personal independence payment;
Scottish child disability payment and Adult disability payment;
Attendance allowance; and
Carers allowance.

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.

Benefits for energy bills and social tariffs

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

Benefits for energy bills and social tariffs are powerful tools to reduce households’ basic expenses, especially during the cost of living crisis. However, most people don’t realise these deals are available and it’s estimated that just 14% of the 5 million people who qualify are making use of these deals.

We cover the following benefits for energy bills and social tariffs:

Winter fuel payment;
Winter heating payment and Child winter heating assistance;
Energy Grants;
Water social tariff;
Broadband social tariff and Mobile social tariff.

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;
Affordable Warmth Scheme; and
Boiler Replacement 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.