The checklist below itemises some options to consider to maximise your income.

• Are you claiming all the benefits you are entitled to and can any of them be backdated, you could try using our free online benefit calculator?
  
  

• Do you or any member of your household have ill-health or a disability that might be eligible for a disability benefit?
  
  

• Are you entitled to a disability blue badge?
  
  

• Are you a carer entitled to a carer’s allowance or are you in receipt of a disability benefit that qualifies someone looking after you?
  
  

• Are you entitled to a charitable grant or benevolent fund?
  
  

• If you are a student, could you apply for any bursary grants from your college or university?
  
  

• Can you get any help with health costs, such as prescriptions, dental and eyesight?
  
  

• Are you entitled to help with school costs, such as travel, uniform and books?
  
  

• Can anyone living with you contribute to the household?
  
  

• Could you raise any cash by selling unwanted goods online (Ebay, CEX, Freeads) or at a car boot sale?
  
  

• If you are over 55, can you release any money from a pension pot or look into equity release from a property?*
  
  

• Do you have a spare room that you could rent out via the rent a room scheme?** 

• Can you claim any tax allowances or a tax refund?***
  
  

• If you are self-employed, can you reduce your tax bill with help?***
  
  

• Are you being paid at least the minimum or living wage?
  
  

• Can you find paid work, increase your hours or fit a 2nd job in?
  
  

• Can you sell an asset of value to raise money and downgrade to a cheaper one, such as a car?
  
  

• Are you on a low income and eligible for government help savings schemes?
  
  

• Can you make any compensation claims for personal injury, negligence or mis-selling?
  
  

• Have you thought about being as Mystery Shopper?
  
  

• Remember to check how any changes made to your income affect any income related benefits you receive.

• Are you able to apply for government help with mortgage costs, such as support for mortgage interest?

• Could you change the due date of your payment, extend the term of your mortgage or fix to a better interest rate?*

• Is a re-mortgage possible?*

• Can you change from a repayment mortgage to an interest only one?*

• Can you apply for help with your rental housing costs, such as discretionary housing payment to cover shortfalls in rent?

• Can you apply for help with your rental housing costs, by claiming universal credit?

• Are you entitled to council tax discounts or reductions?

• Could you extend your council tax payments over 12 months or change the due date of your regular payment? 

• Have you checked comparison sites such as MSE Energy Club, are you on the best energy deal?
  
  

• Could you claim any grants or discounts, such as warm home discount?
  
  

• Would you save any money switching to a smart meter?
  
  

• Is your home energy efficient, could you get help with energy efficiency equipment and/or tips?
  
  

• Are you entitled to receive extra support from your energy supplier?
  
  

• Are you able to save money by installing a water meter?
  
  

• Do you qualify for a reduced/light water tariff?
  
  

• Does your provider give temporary credit for a prepayment meter?
  
  

• Do you check your bills and meter readings regularly to make sure they are not over-estimated?
  
  

• When you replace white goods, do you check their energy efficiency rating before buying to save money on future bills?

• Do you shop around to get the best insurance quotes?
  
  

• Do you adjust the excess (deductible)  amount and check any premiums added to the quotes given to you to compare quotes?
  
  

• Are you over-insuring, do you need all the policies you have? Duplication can sometimes invalidate insurance policies.
  
  

• Are you using your no claims discount to get a discounted quote?
  
  

• Have you thought about protecting your no claims bonus?

• Could you check a comparison site to switch your telephone, TV, internet or mobile provider for a better deal?
  
  

• Can you reduce your media package to reduce costs?
  
  

• Have you checked your mobile data and call usage recently to make sure you are on the cheapest contract deal and not overpaying?
  
  

• Are you able to switch from a contract mobile to a pay as you go cheaper deal?
  
  

• Does your provider allow you to share data with family members?
  
  

• Have any of your contracts ended, could you contact your provider to see if they can offer you a cheaper Sim only customer retention deal?
  
  

• Could you check a comparison site to switch your telephone, TV, internet or mobile provider for a better deal?
  
  

• Can you reduce your media package to reduce costs?
  
  

• Have you checked your mobile data and call usage recently to make sure you are on the cheapest contract deal and not overpaying?
  
  

• Are you able to switch from a contract mobile to a pay as you go cheaper deal?
  
  

• Does your provider allow you to share data with family members?
  
  

• Have any of your contracts ended, could you contact your provider to see if they can offer you a cheaper Sim only customer retention deal?
  
  

• Rather than upgrade at the end of a contract, could you stick with the mobile device you now own and switch to a Sim deal?
  
  

• Could you raise any cash for an old handset?

• Are you eligible for a concessionary bus pass, i.e. older persons, Job Centre Plus discount?
  
  

• Can you split your train ticket to save money?
  
  

• Could you benefit from getting a railcard or a refund for a cancelled or late train?
  
  

• Are you eligible for discounted travel due to a disability?
  
  

• Is there a car share scheme in your area  or could you share with a colleague?
  
  

• Could you use a cheaper type of transport, e.g. walk, bicycle?
  
  

• Do you have the correct change on you for a car park machine?
  
  

• Are you making use of free parking zones? You could try the free appyparking website.
  
  

• Do you search for the cheapest car parks? You could try Parkopedia.
  
  

• Could you rent someone’s drive space? You could try www.justpark.com.
  
  

• Is there a park and ride in the area?

• Could you change the date for any of your regular payments to give you extra time to pay?
  
  

• Do any of your regular bills offer discounts to switch to a direct debit plan?
  
  

• Are you paying for a bank account fee, could you change to a free basic bank account?
  
  

• Does your bank account provide any inclusive financial products that you might be duplicating, such as travel insurance and/or mobile phone insurance?
  
  

• Could you switch to online banking to save on travel costs to your local bank?
  
  

• Are you running an unmanageable overdraft, could you switch to a safe, basic bank account?

• Could you plan for a cheaper food spending week to reduce pressure on your budget just before you get paid?
  
  

• Is it possible to start shopping at cheaper supermarkets, such as Aldi or Lidl?
  
  

• Are you able to save on expensive cleaning products by using bicarbonate of soda and/or white vinegar?
  
  

• Are you able to buy essential products that you need in bulk to save money?
  
  

• Have you tried working out when your local supermarket slashes the process of near their sell by date products?
  
  

• Do you look out for voucher savings and use reward and loyalty cards?
  
  

• Perhaps you could try non-branded products to see if you like them to reduce what you spend?
  
  

• Do you make a list before going shopping, this can prevent you from getting distracted and getting tempted to buy more than you need?
  
  

• Can you reduce the amount of takeaways that you buy?
  
  

• Are you shopping on an empty stomach? Try not to as this can influence what you buy.
  
  

• If you are experiencing food poverty, could you obtain a food voucher?

• Do you check your bank statements and/or online transactions regularly?
  
  

• Can you save a little bit each month for emergencies and/or future costs like birthdays and Christmas?
  
  

• Are you able to set a reminder notification to shop around before a renewal date, such as car insurance or switching energy provider?
  
  

• Would keeping a spending diary in your pocket or bag help you keep track of your spending?
  
  

• Could a free budgeting app help you organise your finances?
  
  

• Have you thought about signing up for open banking to have single access to all of your bank accounts?
  
  

• Do you speak with friends and family about ways to save money? This can help you find out about local deals and savings to be made.
  
  

• If you are a student, are you using your student discounts?
  
  

• Can you make do and mend? Not everything has to be new or replaced.
  
  

• Can you trade your unwanted goods for something second-hand? Car boot sales can be great to meet new people and buy bargains with your own profits.
  
  

• When you are skint, can you suggest a present freeze or limit to family and friends? Surprisingly, this can be welcomed by many, it saves hassle and money.
  
  

• Have you tried discount sites like Groupon and Hot Deals UK?
  
  

• Could you use cash back sites for shopping, such as TopCashBack?