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Written question asked by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 (named day). It was answered by Lucy Rigby (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 on behalf of the Treasury.

Help to Save Scheme

Question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to extend eligibility to Help to Save to people of pension age and in receipt of (a) carers allowance, (b) pension credit and (c) housing benefit after 2027.

Answer

The Help to Save scheme supports financial resilience for working people on low incomes by encouraging consistent, long-term saving and helping them build a financial buffer to plan and prepare for the future.

In April 2025, the government widened the eligibility criteria for the Help to Save scheme to all Universal Credit claimants in work, rather than only those earning above a specified threshold. This expansion means around 550,000 additional people can benefit from the scheme, increasing the eligible population to approximately 3 million.

The government recognises that further groups may also benefit from Help to Save. Any future changes would need to be carefully assessed to ensure the scheme continues to be well targeted and deliverable.

The government has recently consulted on reforms to the delivery of Help to Save after 2027 and we continue to engage with a range of third-party financial institutions, including credit unions, as part of this process.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
90107
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Eligibility Help to save scheme
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk