personal finance

Universal Credit: Some claimants can get free NHS dental care – are you eligible?


Universal Credit may be paid to an eligible person or couple in order to help them with living costs, such as if they are on a low income or are out of work. The amount that a person gets is made up of a standard monthly allowance, which depends on circumstances such as if they’re single or in a couple, and 25 and older or not. Some people may also get additional amounts on Universal Credit. It may be that some Universal Credit recipients are entitled to free NHS dental care – but that’s only if they meet a specified criteria.

The NHS website details the criteria of who is eligible to free NHS dental care.

This includes people who are:

  • Aged under 18, or under 19 and in qualifying full-time education
  • Pregnant, or have had a baby in the past 12 months
  • Staying in an NHS hospital and treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist
  • An NHS hospital dental service outpatient – although they may have to pay for dentures or bridges.

Other people may be entitled to receive free NHS dental care if they or their partner receive a listed benefits payments.

It also includes people who are under the age of 20 who are the dependant of someone receiving the payments.

These are:

  • Income Support
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
  • Universal Credit and meet the criteria.

The NHS website also states that free NHS dental care may be available if one is entitled to or named on:

  • A valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate – if you don’t have a certificate, you can show your award notice; you qualify if you get Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits with a disability element (or both), and have an income for tax credit purposes of £15,276 or less
  • A valid HC2 certificate.

The “Help with health costs for people getting Universal Credit” guide on the NHS website details an eligibility criteria.

It states that a person qualifies if, on the date they claim the help with health costs, they receive Universal Credit and either had no earnings or had net earnings of £435 or less in the last Universal Credit assessment period.

Alternatively, a person qualifies if, on the date they claim help with health costs, they receive Universal Credit including an element for a child, or if a person or their partner had limited capability for work (LCW) or limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), and either had no earnings or net earnings of £935 or less in the last Universal Credit assessment period.

Those who are part of a couple should note that the net earning threshold applies to combined net earnings.

READ MORE: What Universal Credit claimants should do to AVOID facing penalty charge on prescriptions



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