Where to get
real help
This site documents what has happened to other people, which is not the same thing as advice about your own case. The organisations below are free, independent and staffed by people qualified to help, and they are the ones you should be talking to.
If you are in crisis right now
Samaritans
Free on 116 123, any hour of any day, from any phone. You do not have to be suicidal to call.
Visit site ↗Shout
Free 24/7 text support. Text SHOUT to 85258 if you would rather not speak to anyone.
Visit site ↗NHS 111
For urgent mental health support, call 111 and select the mental health option.
Visit site ↗Benefits, DWP decisions and appeals
Citizens Advice
Free advice on benefits, appeals and mandatory reconsiderations. Local offices and a national line.
Visit site ↗Turn2us
Benefits calculator, grants search and practical guidance.
Visit site ↗Child Poverty Action Group
The Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook is the reference advisers actually use.
Visit site ↗Scope
Disability information and support, including help with PIP and assessments.
Visit site ↗Disability Rights UK
Guides written for disabled claimants, and campaigning on the same failures we report.
Visit site ↗Advicelocal
Finds free advice services near your postcode.
Visit site ↗Carers
Child maintenance
Gingerbread
Single-parent charity with a free helpline covering CMS calculations, arrears and enforcement.
Visit site ↗Child Maintenance Options
The official information service on arrangement types and how calculations are made.
Visit site ↗Families Need Fathers
Support for non-resident parents on contact and maintenance.
Visit site ↗Independent Case Examiner
Reviews complaints about the CMS once its own process is exhausted. Six-month deadline from the final response.
Visit site ↗Tax and HMRC
TaxAid
Free tax advice for people on low incomes who cannot afford an accountant.
Visit site ↗Tax Help for Older People
Free tax advice for older people on modest incomes.
Visit site ↗Low Incomes Tax Reform Group
Plain-English guidance on tax, including disputes and the Loan Charge.
Visit site ↗The Adjudicator’s Office
Independent review of HMRC complaints after HMRC’s own process.
Visit site ↗Debt, housing and money
Legal
One thing worth knowing
A very large proportion of DWP decisions that reach an independent tribunal are changed on appeal. Being refused is frequently the middle of the process rather than the end of it, so if you have been turned down it is worth getting advice before you accept the decision.