Advisers Guide to Benefits
Fully updated for 2026/27, the Welfare Benefits Unit’s Advisers Guide to Benefits is the ideal quick-reference companion for welfare rights advisers. This concise, travel-sized publication provides an overview of the welfare benefits system, outlines eligibility requirements and gives examples of how to calculate entitlement.
Who it is aimed at
This practical guide is an essential resource for anyone giving welfare advice, particularly those visiting clients or attending outreach sessions. The easy-to-use style is also accessible for those looking to understand their own benefit entitlement.
What it covers
The Advisers Guide to Benefits covers the main benefits, detailing the conditions of entitlement, benefit rates and how to apply. It also outlines benefits payable in specific circumstances (e.g. hospitals and care homes) and additional financial support for people living in England, Wales and Scotland (e.g. social fund payments and grants). The 2026/27 benefit rates are easy to find inside the front cover.
What it doesn’t cover
As a compact guide to the welfare system, the Advisers Guide to Benefits does not include links to relevant legislation or case law. Benefits for those living in Northern Ireland are not included in this publication.
| “Up to date information written in a clear and understandable way.”
| “Don’t know what I’d do without my Advisers Guide”
| “The advisers guide is indispensable especially when doing outreach work, it is very portable yet contains all the basic rules and rates which I can then easily refer to when meeting clients.”
