About this information

This information applies to:

• people who are serving in the armed forces
• people who used to serve in the armed forces (veterans)
• the dependants of people serving in the armed forces and veterans

There are many different kinds of financial help available for people in the armed forces, veterans and their families.

You can use this information to find out what financial help might be available to you, depending on your situation. You can also use this information to find details of organisations that might be able to help you further.

What financial help is available?

Veterans, people serving in the armed forces and their dependants have a range of financial help available to help them.

Benefits in the UK

Veterans, people serving in the armed forces and their dependants may be able to claim a range of benefits in the UK. These include:

• Universal Credit
• Child Benefit
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Personal Independence Payment
• Sure Start Maternity Grant
• Jobseekers Allowance
• tax credits
• income – including any earnings or benefits
• rent and living costs
• savings and investments

Benefits abroad

If you are a veteran living abroad, or you are serving in the armed forces abroad, you and your dependants may still be able to claim some benefits in the UK. You may be able to claim:

• Maternity Allowance
• Child Benefit
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Jobseekers Allowance (in certain European Union countries only)

Council Tax Relief

You may be able to get a tax-free relief payment for your council tax or contributions you pay instead of council tax. You may be able to get a relief payment if you are serving abroad in the armed forces and pay:

• council tax on a property in the UK, or
• contributions instead of council tax for service family accommodation

Payments are issued at the end of your time abroad. They are based on the number of days served abroad.

If you have served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq you should receive payments covering any period of service abroad since 1 October 2007.

If you were deployed in the following locations from 1 February 2008, you should receive payments covering any period of service abroad:

• Bahrain
• Bosnia
• British Forces South Atlantic Islands
• Diego Garcia
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Qatar
• Royal Navy Ships in receipt of Deployment Welfare Package (Overseas)
• United Nations Operations.

If you were deployed in Libya from 1 July 2011, you should receive payments covering any period of service abroad.

Armed forces pensions

If you are claiming a war pension, or a war widow or widower pension and you are moving abroad, you should get advice on your pension.

You can get advice from Veterans UK. Their contact details are:

Telephone from the UK: 0808 1914218
Telephone from abroad: + 44 1 253 866043
Email: veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk

Help with school fees and childcare costs

If you are currently serving in the armed forces, you may be able to claim an allowance to help pay for your child’s boarding school fees. You can get more information from the Children’s Education Advisory Service. Their contact details are:

You can buy childcare vouchers to pay for the care of your child. As these are free from tax and national insurance, you can make big savings on the cost of childcare. If you register for the armed forces childcare voucher scheme the cost of the vouchers is taken from your pay every month. The vouchers can be used to pay for nursery care, summer camps for teenagers, boarding school fees and many other childcare costs.

You can find more information and application forms on childcare and school fees on the Ministry of Defence Childcare website at: www.modchildcare.co.uk.

Free and reduced travel costs

Remembrance Travel

The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Travel organises visits to cemeteries, battlefields and memorials across the world. 

Financial help from the Government is available to war widows and widowers who wish to visit their spouse’s grave or war memorial. This only applies to those who lost a husband or wife overseas before 1967.

For more details, contact Poppy Travel: 01622 716 729.

Veterans travel in London

You can apply to join the Veterans Concessionary Travel Scheme in London if you are:

• a veteran getting financial help under the War Pensions Scheme
• a veteran getting regular financial help under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
• a war widow or war widower getting financial help from the War Pensions or Armed Forces Compensation Schemes

Under the Veterans Concessionary Travel Scheme, you will be issued with an Oyster photocard. You can use this to travel free at any time within London on the bus, underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), tram and London overground services.

You can find out more information about this scheme by contacting Transport for London. Their contact details are:

Helpline: 0845 331 9872 (open Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm)
Website: www.tfl.gov.uk.

Blue Badge Scheme

You may be eligible for a Blue Badge if you are a disabled veteran or a member of the armed forces.

If you are currently in the armed forces and are no longer resident the UK, you or a member of your household can apply to the Ministry of Defence for a blue badge. If you’ve kept your UK residency, you should apply to your local authority.

For more information about the war disablement pension, see Pension and compensation schemes for the armed forces, veterans and their families.

For more information about eligibility for the Blue Badge scheme, see who is eligible for a blue badge.

You can find more information on the Blue Badge scheme on the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk.