1. Single person’s Council Tax reduction: get 25% off your bill
A Council Tax discount for single people is one of the few perks available to solo homeowners or renters that doesn’t take your income into consideration. Unlike many other benefits, a Council Tax discount for single people has only one requirement: that you’re the only eligible person over the age of 18 in your household.
A single person’s Council Tax reduction entitles you to 25% off your bill.
You can search for your local council and apply for a Council Tax reduction here.
2. Benefits for single people on a low income: Universal Credit
What benefits can I claim if I’m single?
You could be eligible for Universal Credit if you’re on a low income.
To qualify for Universal Credit, you must:
- Be aged 18 or over;
- Be under State Pension age;
- Live in the UK; and
- Have less than £16,000 in money, savings, and investments.
The amount of money you could be entitled to depends on various factors, including your employment status and how much you earn, if applicable.
What is Universal Credit for single people? The standard household allowance for a single person in receipt of Universal Credit as of October 2025 is:
- £316.98 per month if you’re under the age of 25; and
- £400.14 per month if you’re aged 25 or over.
If you have children, you may be eligible for increased rates.
You can apply for Universal Credit here.
3. Help if you’re single, on a low income, and dealing with a financial emergency: Budgeting Advance
As a single person solely responsible for household bills and maintenance, an unexpected expense can really threaten your budget. If you’ve received Universal Credit for 6 months or more, you could apply for a Budgeting Advance.
A Budgeting Advance could help to cover the cost of emergencies such as replacing a broken boiler or washing machine.
You could get up to £348 if you’re single; however, you must make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria, details of which can be found here.
You’ll pay back a Budgeting Advance directly from your Universal Credit payments.
4. Heating your home: Cold Weather Payments
You could be entitled to a Cold Weather Payment if you’re claiming certain benefits and the average temperature in your area is recorded as 0 degrees or lower over a period of 7 consecutive days between November 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. You’ll get £25 for each qualifying period of cold weather.
You don’t need to apply for Cold Weather Payments; the money will be paid automatically into the bank account that your benefits are paid into.
You could be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment if you’re getting any of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit.
- Pension Credit.
- Support for Mortgage Interest.
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA); or
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
5. Benefits for single parents
According to Gingerbread, there are 2 million single parents with dependent children in the UK.
You can claim Child Benefit if you’re raising a child under the age of 16, or under the age of 20 if they’re in approved education or training. Only one parent can claim Child Benefit. If your child(ren) spend equal amounts of time living with each parent, then you will need to decide between you who makes the claim. If you can’t agree, you can ask HMRC to decide.
How much you will get with Child Benefit:
- £26.05 per week for your eldest or only child; and
- £17.25 per week per child for any other children.
Child Benefit is typically paid every four weeks; however, if you’re a single parent, you could ask that the money be paid weekly instead.
Child Benefit can be claimed within 48 hours of you registering the birth of your child. If you’d like to make a claim for Child Benefit, you can do so by clicking through to the Gov.uk website here.
6. Free childcare hours
If you have a child aged 4 years or younger, you could be entitled to help with childcare.
There are different schemes depending on where you live:
7. Free school meals
Your child(ren) might be able to get free school meals if you’re in receipt of certain benefits.
If you’re eligible, you’ll need to apply for free school meals through your local council, which you can search for here.
8. Free prescriptions and treatment on the NHS
Certain circumstances could mean that you’re able to get free prescriptions and selected treatments on the NHS. If you’re on a low income, the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS) could help you cover costs relating to prescriptions, eye care, wigs and fabric supports, and dental treatment.
You can apply for the NHS LIS if you have less than £16,000 in savings, investments, and property, or less than £23,250 if you live permanently in a care home.
Benefits for single people: Where to check your benefit entitlement
How much can a single person claim on benefits?
The amount of money you could claim as a single person will depend on the benefit(s) you’re eligible for, as well as your personal circumstances.
You can use the free Turn2Us benefits calculator to check whether you could be entitled to claim any benefits as a single person.
What to do if you’re worried about your financial situation
Help is available, whatever you’re facing.
You can access free, impartial debt and money advice through StepChange, MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice, and National Debtline.