Our Benefits and Welfare Rights Service

Last Updated: 29.11.2010

We provide independent information and advice on benefits and welfare rights. We will help you find your way around the benefits system and keep you up-to-date with benefit changes and your rights.

Whether you are unemployed, sick or disabled, retired, a carer, on low wages, or finding it difficult to manage, the Benefits and Welfare Rights Service aims to ensure that you get your full entitlement to benefit.

What the Benefits and Welfare Rights Service offers

Our Benefits and Welfare Rights Advisers offer a complete benefits health check and advice on entitlement to welfare benefits and tax credits to individuals in receipt of benefit, claiming benefit or on a low income.

We have specially trained Benefits and Welfare Rights Advisers in all our Citizens Advice Bureaux, ready to help with any enquiry you have regarding benefits or tax credits.

What we can help you with

The Benefits and Welfare Rights Service has been developed to help the people of North Ayrshire and give them advice on welfare benefits and entitlement. The service provides:

• A full and complete Benefit Entitlement Check to maximise your income and ensure you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to.
• A form-filling service to assist people to complete various types of benefit claim forms.
• Signposting to other agencies if required.
• Help challenging a benefits decision.
• Help with a benefits appeal and may provide representation at a Social Security Appeal Tribunal.

Help with benefit claim forms

Claiming all the benefits you are entitled to is important to make sure you have enough money to live on.

The welfare benefits system is complicated and the regulations change frequently, so most families need expert help and advice if they are to receive their full entitlements.

There are many different types of benefits and whether you are eligible for them will depend on different factors such as your income, capital, national insurance contributions and overall household circumstances.

Claiming benefits can be confusing and lots of people find it useful to get specialist advice. Some of the application forms are very long and it takes time and patience to fill them in.

If you would like help with benefit claim forms visit a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau and we will help you with your claim.

Get advice now

For advice on welfare benefits and tax credits visit a North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau and speak to a Benefits and Welfare Rights Adviser, or use our contact us form to request information. Alternatively call one of our bureaux, our offices and numbers can be found at the foot of the page.