UK households handed up to £2,550 with 4 benefits and freebies in September

People on four DWP benefits could grab a slice of up to £2,550 each this September thanks to various freebies and discounts. Amongst the fiscal gloom, there is some good news - with various freebies, discounts and handouts available to claim that are worth up to £2,550.26 per household this month.

Not all of these will be claimable by all people, but one household could theoretically claim all of them at once, if those living in the household met the eligibility criteria for each of the DWP and HMRC benefits listed herein. And of course as long as the household was still within the Benefits Cap, which is set at just under £26,000 a year total for those in London, or roughly £23,000 for those living outside the capital.

Universal Credit - up to £628.10 per month

Universal Credit is complicated, because it's becoming a catch-all replacement for various other benefits. So someone who is claiming for help with childcare costs, for disabled children or as a carer can get more money on top of the standard rates.

All elements of Universal Credit saw their payments increased by 1.7% from April, thanks to automatic uprating of the benefit tied to Consumer Price Index inflation figures.

Looking just at the standard rates element, which is help for general living costs for those on low or no income, it means Universal Credit for a single person aged under 25 to is now £316.90 per month. For single people aged over 25, it is set at £400.14. For a couple under 25, it's £497.55 and for an over-25 couple, £628.10.

A 50% cut to the health element of Universal Credit announced by Rachel Reeves will not take effect this tax year so will not be in place before April 2026.

State pension - up to £997 per month

The full new state pension is £230.25 per week, or £997.75 per month on average (the annual figure, £11,973, divided by 12 months).

The old basic state pension, for those who retired before 2016, is £176.45 per week.

Those on the old state pension can boost their pension payout by claiming Pension Credit, which went up to £227.10 per week from April, which is close to the full new state pension amount anyway.

Child benefit - £112.88

Child benefit is £26.05 per week. Because it's paid as a weekly rate but paid once each month, it averages out to £112.88 per month, or £1,354.60 for a full year.

The amount paid for each additional child is £17.25 per week. There is no limit to the number of additional children, aside from the overall benefits cap, so you could get much more than £112.88 if you had a lot of children, claiming an extra £17.25 per week for each additional child after your first-born.

PIP - £812

Personal Independence Payments have been the subject of much debate this year following some sweeping welfare reform plans, which were then watered down. The money is sent to those who face difficulties with everyday living and mobility, are split into four categories: Standard daily living, enhanced daily living, standard mobility and enhanced mobility.

Standard daily living is set at £73.90 per week, while the enhanced daily living element is £110.40 per week.

Standard mobility is £29.20 per week, and enhanced mobility is £77.05.

In total, you could get £812.28 a month if you qualified for the enhanced element of both parts and the payments were averaged across 12 months.

Although the Chancellor has announced a consultation on changes to PIP, including stricter tests for eligibility, no such change has yet been put in place so rates and eligibility remain unaffected for 2025-2026.