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Where can I get help and advice about benefits?

Working out what benefits or tax credits you’re entitled to can be tricky, especially with recent welfare changes. Find out where to get free expert advice online, face-to-face or by calling an advice helpline.

What’s in this guide

Citizens Advice
How to get access to a food bank
Law Centres
Macmillan benefits advisers for people affected by cancer
Age UK benefits advice for older people
Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline
Other free help and advice

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice can give you free, confidential, impartial and independent benefits advice.

Advice offered

As well as benefits advice, they can help you resolve problems with debt, housing and many more issues

Services provided

online
home visits
face-to-face
advice helpline
email (in some cases).

Suitable for

Everyone.

Contact Citizens Advice

Find your local branch to arrange an appointment, or view a list of phone numbers:

How to get access to a food bank

If you’re facing an emergency and have no money to pay for food, you might be able to use a food bank.

You usually can’t go directly to a foodbank. Most of them will ask you to get a referral voucher from an organisation in your community before you can use them.

Places where you can get a foodbank voucher include:

Citizens Advice
your local council
GP or health visitor
Support worker
Social worker
Children’s Centre
Police.

If you think you need to use a food bank, follow these steps:

You can search online for food banks in your area. You’ll be able to find out where they are and which local community organisations the foodbank works with who can organise a voucher for you.
Or, a referral organisation can help you find the nearest food bank and give you a voucher. For help with this, go to the Citizens Advice website.
When you arrive at the referral organisation, you’ll be asked for some basic information to find out your needs and check if you can get a voucher.
If you qualify, the referral organisation will give you a voucher to take to the foodbank to exchange for food.
If you need to use a food bank again, you’ll need to get another referral.

Things to think about if you need a foodbank voucher

If you think you’ll run out of food by the end of the week, it’s important to plan ahead. Most food banks aren’t open at the weekend, so try to get a referral before the weekend.

Before visiting a community referral organisations, or a Citizens Advice branch – make sure you check they’re open first, before travelling there.

If you’ve got your voucher but you’re not able to travel, your nearest food bank might be able to deliver. Contact them to find out.

Some foodbanks put a limit on the number of times you can use them. If you find yourself relying on them too often, they’ll be able to help you find other support.

Finding a food bank

Find an independent food bank near you at Food Aid Network

You can find your nearest Trussell Trust food bank at Trussell Trust

Finding a referral organisation

Find your nearest Citizens Advice, and its opening times, on the Citizens Advice website

If you live in Northern Ireland, go to Advice NI

Law Centres

Law Centres provide free legal advice and representation to disadvantaged people. They may be able to help you with expert advice if you have a complex benefit problem or you want to appeal against a decision made on your benefit entitlement.