Citizens Advice Barrow

Benefits Advice

Our team of advisers provide information and advice about all welfare benefits issues from checking eligibility and helping with claims, to appealing decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions and Barrow Borough Council’s Revenues & Benefits department. We can help with Universal Credit, Jobseekers allowance, income support, housing benefit and council tax support, pension credit, tax credits, employment support allowance and disability benefits, plus many more.


We also work in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to provide a specialist benefits advice service for people affected by cancer. Call 01229 830367 to ask about this service or make a referral.

What We Can Help With

We can give practical assistance by helping you to work out your entitlement to benefits and tax credits. For example we can talk to you about the effects of moving in with a partner, financial support if you are expecting a baby or the effects on your income of increasing hours at work or taking a new job.

We can help you fill in forms such as Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance. Please note this will always be by appointment and only after we have assessed whether it is the appropriate benefit for you.

If you have been refused a benefit or your benefit has been stopped we will be able to advise you how to challenge this.

How We Can Help

Call us on 0808 2787 817. Our First Contact Adviser will ask you questions so that we fully understand your situation and can then advise you about your options. At this stage it is important that you have letters and forms relating to your situation and details of your household income. If your benefits enquiry is complex or you want to appeal a decision to refuse you benefit we will make an appointment with one of our advisers after we have made an initial assessment.

Additional Resources

To check your benefit entitlement using online calculators, visit the Turn2Us website

For information about tax credits, visit the HMRC website

For information on benefits, visit the Benefits section of the Government website

For information on benefits for people affected by cancer, visit the Macmillan website

For information on the Blue Badge Scheme, visit Cumbria County Council website

For council tax and housing benefit issues, visit Barrow Borough Council website

For information on disability rights and benefits, visit the Disability Rights UK website

For mental health related issues, visit the Mind website

For further information about Universal Credit, visit Understanding Universal Credit