Nottingham City residents are being encouraged to check whether they could be missing out on any benefits or financial support that they may be entitled to through the online Benefits Checker – also known as the ‘Better Off Calculator’ – as part of the wider promotion of support available through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), funded by the UK Government.
More than 76% of eligible households who used our online Benefits Checker between its launch in May and mid-October were identified as potentially missing out on benefits or financial support. Through the calculator, 318 households were identified as collectively missing out on up to £195,940 per month, an average of £7,394 per year for each household, or between them £2,351,280 annually.
The calculator is quick and easy to use, requiring users to fill in their details across four key areas covering their household, health, property and income. The calculator will then display the results of what benefits and additional financial support they may be entitled to and how to apply for these.
The Benefits Checker is being promoted by Nottingham City Council as part of the wider package of Government support that is available through the CRF.
The Crisis and Resilience Fund, which was launched earlier this year to replace the Household Support Fund that had been in place since 2021 during the Cost of Living crisis, provides targeted emergency support to those who require it but is also about helping residents improve their long-term financial resilience through things such as Help to Save, Council Tax Support, housing support, energy advice and much more.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “The Benefits Checker is a fantastic tool that I would encourage everyone to use in order to check what financial support they may be entitled to but not claiming.
“From those city residents who have used it since it launched, nearly three quarters found that they were missing out on benefits and support that they could have been receiving.
“Knowing the financial pressures that households up and down the country have been facing, including in Nottingham, we want to make sure that everyone is aware of tools such as this and of the wider support that they can take advantage of through the Crisis and Resilience Fund which Nottingham City residents can access through our website.”
Find out more about the benefits checker and the support available through CRF at: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CRF