6. Stage 6: maximise income and reduce expenditure

• Overview of maximising income
• Benefit check
• Tax allowances, rebates and tax codes
• Tax allowances
• Tax rebate
• Tax code
• Child maintenance
• Charity payments
• Insurance payments
• Other sources of financial help
• Trade unions
• Civil compensation for damages
• Council tax discount or reduction
• Food banks
• Private and occupational pensions
• Reduce expenditure
• Utilities
• Satellite TV
• Telephone, mobile and internet
• Vehicles
• Meals at work
• Non-essential items
• Council tax
• Luxuries and non-dependants
• Challenging low spending
• Non-judgemental approach
• Do not blame the client

Maximising the client’s income is a key element of the debt advice process. Part of this is checking the client’s entitlement to benefits and other ways to increase income, as well as finding ways for the client to reduce their expenditure.

Maximising income increases the amount of money the client is in receipt of and may increase their disposable income. This is achieved by identifying new income sources, such as benefits, grants or rebates and reducing the client’s expenditure through budgeting, identifying non-essential expenditure and reducing the costs of bills.

This section looks at ways to maximise client income and reduce their expenditure.