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About us
Who we are, how we check every figure, and how the site pays for itself.
Written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team · Last reviewed 9 September 2026
benefitmoney.co.uk is an independent publisher. We explain what money help exists for people receiving benefits in the UK, what it costs, and in what order to try it.
We are not a lender. We are not a credit broker. We are not connected to the Department for Work and Pensions, any local council, or GOV.UK.
Why this site exists
Search for money help on benefits and most of what comes back is written to sell you a loan. The government pages that are accurate are written for everyone at once, so the answer to your situation is buried three clicks down. And almost nobody explains the part that costs people the most: borrowing money can reduce the benefits you receive, because a loan sitting in your account counts as capital.
So this site is organised by cost rather than by product. Grants that are never repaid come first. Interest-free government help comes second. Borrowing comes last, with the rule about capital stated on every page where it applies.
How we verify data
Every amount, threshold, rate and phone number on this site comes from a named primary source, and carries the date we last opened it.
What counts as a source
- GOV.UK — for benefit rules, amounts and application routes
- legislation.gov.uk — for statutory caps and the wording of the law itself
- mygov.scot, gov.wales, nidirect — for schemes run by the devolved governments
- DWP guidance for decision makers — for how a rule is actually applied
- The FCA Handbook and the FCA Register — for anything about regulated credit
- The Bank of England — for sector statistics
What does not count
- Another website’s summary of a rule. If we have not opened the source, we do not publish the figure.
- A number we remember being true. Rates change every April.
- An estimate presented as a fact. Where we calculate something ourselves — converting a monthly interest cap to an APR, for example — we say so, and show the arithmetic.
How often we check
| What | Checked |
|---|---|
| Council crisis schemes and their names | Monthly |
| Benefit amounts, standard allowances, advance limits | Quarterly, and every April |
| Capital limits and the assumed-yield figure | Every April |
| Statutory interest caps | Annually |
| Sector statistics | Quarterly |
The date at the top of every page is the date that page was last checked in full, not the date it was written.
Editorial policy
- Free options come first, always. Every page that mentions borrowing names the grants and interest-free help that should be ruled out first — including on the pages that earn money.
- We never promise an outcome. No page on this site says a loan is guaranteed, that everyone is accepted, or that approval is instant. Any site that does is telling you something a regulated lender cannot.
- We say when something has changed. Schemes get renamed and abolished. Where that has happened — the Household Support Fund, Crisis Loans, the Welsh school grant — we say what it is called now rather than quietly updating the page.
- Corrections are made openly. If we get something wrong, we fix it and re-date the page. Tell us and we will look at it.
- Bylines name the team, not invented people. Pages are written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team. We do not attach fictional experts or stock-photo headshots to financial guidance.
How we make money
Being straight about this is part of being trustworthy, so here it is without the euphemisms.
The government-support pages earn nothing. Everything about Budgeting Advances, Budgeting Loans, council crisis funds, grants and school uniform help is free to read and carries no commercial link. Those pages exist because they are what most people arriving here actually need.
The borrowing pages can earn a commission. Where we link to a regulated lender or a comparison service, we may be paid if you go on to apply. That payment does not change what we write, the order we list things in, or whether we tell you a cheaper option exists.
What we will not do
- Take payment to rank a lender higher, or to leave a cheaper option out
- Present a paid placement as an editorial recommendation
- Collect your personal details on this site and pass them on
- Run advertising on the pages about government support
What we collect
The eligibility checker runs entirely in your browser. It asks about your circumstances, not about you: no name, no address, no date of birth, no National Insurance number, no bank details. Your answers are not sent anywhere and are not stored when you close the page.
We use analytics to understand which pages people read. We do not sell data, and we do not build a profile of you.
Our regulatory position
- We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as a credit broker, and we do not carry out credit broking.
- We do not lend money and we do not make lending decisions.
- We are not connected to the DWP, GOV.UK, any local council, or any charity named on this site.
- Any lender you reach through this site is responsible for its own authorisation. Check any firm on the FCA Register before you apply.
If you are struggling with debt, free and impartial help is available — MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice, StepChange and National Debtline all give it without charge, and none of them will sell you a loan.
Contact and complaints
If a figure on this site is wrong, out of date, or you think a page is misleading, tell us and we will look at it. Point us at the page and, if you can, the source that says otherwise — that is the fastest way to get it fixed.
We are a publisher, not a regulated firm, so we are not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service. A complaint about a lender goes to that lender first, and to the Financial Ombudsman if you are not satisfied with its final response.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes this site?
The benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team. We name the team rather than attaching invented individual authors to financial guidance.
Are you the DWP?
No. We are an independent publisher with no connection to the Department for Work and Pensions, GOV.UK, any local council or any charity named on this site.
Can you tell me whether I will be accepted?
No, and nobody who is not the decision maker can. The DWP decides a Budgeting Advance; a credit union decides its own loans; a lender decides its own. Any site that promises approval is not telling you the truth.
Do you charge anything?
No. Everything here is free to read, and we never ask you to pay for information that is free from the government.
Why should I trust your figures?
Because each one names where it came from and when we looked. If a source is not named, treat the figure as unverified — and tell us, because it should not be on the page.
How do I report an error?
Send us the page and what you think is wrong. If you have the source that contradicts us, include it. We re-date the page when we correct it.
Sources
- FCA Handbook — CONC (Consumer Credit sourcebook). Checked 9 September 2026.
- FCA — Financial Services Register. Checked 9 September 2026.
This page is independent. It is not run by the Department for Work and Pensions, any local council or GOV.UK.