Advice line for advisers
Free, independent, expert, up-to-date advice and information to frontline advisers and support staff on all aspects of the benefits and tax credits system.
England, Wales, Northern Ireland
PLEASE NOTE: Our advice service will be closed from 24 Dec 2024 to 2 Jan 2025 inclusive. It will re-open at 10am on 3 Jan 2025.
Phone: 020 7812 5231.
Monday to Friday, 10am - 12pm and 2pm - 4pm.
We can advise on all welfare benefit and tax credit issues by phone.
Email: [email protected]
Please only contact us by email about universal credit, child benefit, child tax credit or working tax credit, and provide your organisation's name, address and telephone number and your client's case reference.
Relay UK
If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can contact us using Relay UK and type what you want to say. You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. Call 18001 followed by our number. Relay UK is charged at your standard network rate. How to use Relay UK
Scotland
Phone: 0141 552 0552
Monday to Thursday, 10am - 4pm, Friday 10am - 12 noon
Email: [email protected]
The Scotland service covers all benefits.
Relay UK
If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can contact us using Relay UK and type what you want to say. You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. Call 18001 followed by our number. Relay UK is charged at your standard network rate. How to use Relay UK
Who the service is for
Our advice line is for welfare rights advisers, student advisers, housing staff, health staff, family support staff, social workers, solicitors and other advisers and frontline support staff who do not charge for their services.
We cannot advise organisations or advisers who charge for their services, whether through a fee or voluntary contribution from clients, unless the organisation or individual is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or is a regulated law firm in Scotland.
We cannot advise members of the public. For help with benefits or tax credits, contact your local Citizens Advice or law centre or search for an advice centre near you at Advice Local.
The advice line is a great resource for us as front line staff knowing we can get accurate knowledge.
The advisers are always very knowledgeable and explain things in ways that are easy to understand.
It's such a relief to have the support of the CPAG advice line - I think I'd be lost without it!
CPAG in Scotland gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Scottish Government towards our welfare rights services in Scotland.
Other CPAG services
The Upper Tribunal assistance project can provide advice and assistance to advisers and support workers who are helping claimants in England and Wales to challenge tribunal decisions in welfare benefit and tax credit cases.
The Judicial Review project helps advisers to resolve clients issues using template letters and supporting casework via email.
If you are an adviser and you wish to refer a potential test case see our information on how to refer a test case.
Our notes and records of your contact
When you call or email to seek help with your casework, our advisers take notes on the information you give us and record it on our database. This is used for training purposes, quality assurance, complaint investigations, to collect the data needed to fulfil our obligations to our funders, and to support our policy work. We will inform you of this before any data collection occurs.
Comments and complaints
We want to give you a high standard of service. We love to get feedback and comments about what went well. We also want to hear from you if the service you received was not as good as it should have been so that we can put things right.
Find out more about giving us your feedback and how to make a complaint.