Government allowances and benefits in the UK cover far more than most families realise. Every year, billions of pounds in support go unclaimed, not because families don’t need the money, but because so much of the system depends on people already knowing what exists and applying for it themselves. Nothing arrives automatically just because a household happens to qualify.
The six forms of support below cover different stages of family life, from raising young children to caring for a relative or a foster child. Some depend on income, others don’t, and a few sit outside the benefits people usually search for, which is exactly why they get missed.
Marriage Allowance
If one partner earns below the personal tax allowance and the other pays the basic rate, moving part of that unused allowance across can cut the higher earner’s tax bill by up to £252 a year, and claims can be backdated too. It remains one of the most under-claimed reliefs in the country, largely because couples assume it only applies to pensioners.
Support for Foster Carers
Carers looking after a child through fostering are supported with fostering allowances that go towards the everyday costs of food, clothing, travel and household bills, alongside training and ongoing support from the fostering service. The payment is separate from wages and is usually tax-free.
Carer’s Allowance
Anyone providing at least 35 hours a week of unpaid care for someone who receives a qualifying disability benefit may be entitled to £86.45 a week, regardless of savings or a partner’s income. A separate weekly earnings limit applies to the carer, so it’s worth checking the rules rather than assuming you’re either eligible or ruled out.
Council Tax Single Person Discount
A 25 per cent reduction applies if only one adult is counted in a household, and children under 18 don’t count towards that total, so single parents living with just their children usually qualify too. Councils don’t apply it automatically, which is part of why so many households are still missing out.
Guardian’s Allowance
Grandparents and other relatives raising a child whose parents have died, or who can’t care for them, can claim £22.95 a week per child on top of Child Benefit. It isn’t widely advertised, and many kinship carers only find out about it once someone else happens to mention it.
Healthy Start Scheme
Pregnant women from 10 weeks and families with a child under four on certain benefits can get a prepaid card, topped up every four weeks, to help buy food, milk and vitamins. Under-18s who are pregnant qualify automatically, without needing to be on any other benefit at all.
Checking eligibility against a list like this only takes a few minutes, but the difference it makes to a household’s budget over a year can be significant. Local councils, welfare rights advisers and online benefits calculators can confirm exactly what applies to your situation, and it’s worth revisiting whenever something changes at home, since a new baby, a change in income or a new caring responsibility can all open up support that wasn’t there before.
