Make sure you are claiming all the benefits you are eligible for. Use our benefit calculator to check your entitlement.

If you rent your home and receive a pension or are on a low income, you might be entitled to receive Housing Benefit.

If you receive Universal Credit or Housing Benefit and it does not cover the full cost of your rent, contact us to ask about a Discretionary Housing Payment. When funds allow, we can award this to help pay your rent on a short-term basis.

Our budget planner can help you keep track of how much money you have. It’s free and quick to use. Before you start, gather information about your income and expenditure – you’ll also need your partner’s information, if relevant.

If you are a council tenant, we can give you confidential financial and budgeting advice. Contact us to arrange an appointment.

Our community centres provide a variety of spaces to meet, learn, work, exercise and play. They are in the areas of the city with the greatest need, or in areas of significant new housing growth.

Some of the community centres provide free internet access, and most host local events and groups.

We open some of the centres as warm and welcoming spaces every winter.

Free period products are available at the centres.

Various discounts, reductions and exemptions to your Council Tax bill are available. Find out how to get money off your Council Tax bill.

You can pay your Council Tax in 12 monthly instalments instead of the usual 10. The total you pay will not change, but it will reduce the monthly cost. Register for an online Council Tax account to arrange this – you will need the ‘online key’ from your latest bill.

We provide grants and funding for individuals and community groups.

Various home energy efficiency grants and incentives are available to increase the energy efficiency of your home.

Home repair and improvement grants and loans are available to help you improve your home’s safety, security or energy efficiency.

Disabled Facilities Grants are available to carry out adaptation works that will help people living with a disability remain independent in their own home.

Our Grassroots Activity Grant helps children to access sport, dance, physical activity sessions and swimming lessons.

Our Future Champions Grant provides aid to young athletes who compete at county or regional level.

Our Free Access for National Sportspeople scheme provides national sports performers with free access to leisure facilities for training and development.

We provide information about various home energy efficiency grants and incentives to help you increase your home’s energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.

If you are a council tenant, we can give you confidential financial and budgeting advice. Contact us to discuss your situation.

Our Housing Advice service provides free, confidential advice to anyone who lives in Cambridge. We can provide advice on a wide range of housing issues, from landlord disputes to homelessness.

If you live in a rented council property and are struggling to pay your rent, contact us as soon as possible. We can give you advice and offer different payment methods, and if necessary refer you to external agencies such as Citizens Advice.

If you are homeless or threatened with becoming homeless, our Access Scheme could help you afford the up-front costs of getting into private rented accommodation. In some circumstances, we might be able to offer small interest-free loans to help you avoid losing your home.

Consider renting out your spare room to a lodger to earn some extra money. We can provide full training and support.

Check our sport, physical activity and wellbeing pages to find out about free activities near you, including tennis courts, table tennis tables and outdoor gym equipment.

You can also join a range of free online fitness activities to help you get active and improve your fitness at home.

Discounted swimming ‘pay and play’ cards are available for people who receive certain benefits. They give up to 30% off normal admission prices and are valid for 12 months. Children can swim for £1 at specific times. Check our swimming offers page for more details.

We provide a range of free and low-cost activity sessions to help anybody who is experiencing anxiety, depression or other mental ill health through our Invigorate programme. Joining also entitles you to a free Better card, which gives you a 50% discount at some GLL-managed gyms and pools.

Many banks offer basic bank accounts that are specially designed for people who find it difficult to open a full account, perhaps because of a poor credit history.

Credit unions provide savings, loans and other financial services. They are owned and controlled by their members. The local credit union is Eastern Savings and Loans.

Beware loan sharks who lend money outside the legitimate agreed standards for money collection. Visit the Financial Conduct Authority's website to check whether someone lending you money has a licence to do so. You can report a loan shark anonymously.

GrowKids and Trumpington Kids Clothes Hub redistribute free pre-loved school uniform.

The Family Rights Group advice service works with families who need advice and support for child-welfare needs or concerns.

As well as lending books, Cambridge Central Library has a learning centre and a private ‘safe space’, and much more.

If you do not have access to a computer, tablet or smartphone or are unsure how to use them, local charity Cambridge Online can provide help with skills. They can also provide access to the internet and connected devices.

Cambridgeshire Libraries offer laptops, tablets and MiFi devices which you can borrow free of charge for seven days at a time.

Citizens Advice’s debt and money advice contains information about a wide range of topics.

The National Debtline and Business Debtline provide free confidential and independent advice on how to deal with debt problems.

StepChange offers free debt advice and can help you arrange a debt-management plan.

The government provides advice about your options for dealing with your debts. Their Breathing Space scheme gives you time to find debt advice, to help relieve the stress caused by debt.

Cambridge Money Advice Centre offers free, confidential advice to help you get out and stay out of debt.

Making Money Count offers help with managing money, finding work and renting.

A local network provides free lunches and activities for families with nursery or school-aged children in the school holidays, at various locations around Cambridge.

If you find yourself unable to provide food for you and your family, your local foodbank might be able to help you. Cambridge Sustainable Food’s emergency food access webpage lists local food hubs and organisations offering low cost meals.

Join a Fairbite Food Club and pay a small weekly membership fee, and you can choose from a variety of cupboard staples, fresh produce, and household essentials.

FoodCycle Cambridge invites anyone for a warm meal every Saturday.

Cambridge Community Kitchen provides hot, hearty, vegan meals for anyone who needs one, which can be delivered to your home.

If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, the NHS Healthy Start scheme might be able to help you to buy healthy food and milk and collect free vitamins.

The Too Good To Go app can help you buy low-price, quality food from local vendors.

The Olio app lists food and other products in Cambridge that would otherwise be wasted.

Cambridge Re-Use and Emmaus can help you buy furniture and other household items.

The Cambridge Climate Map shows local businesses, shops and organisations that support low carbon living and homes improvements.

MoneyHelper’s bill prioritiser can help you sort your bills and payments in the right order and tell you what you need to do if you’re struggling to pay before you miss a payment.

MoneyHelper’s guidance on how to save money on household bills can help you reduce how much you pay for water, energy, phone and broadband and more.

Ask your energy supplier to install a smart meter for your gas and electricity supply.

You could consider switching suppliers or switching to a different tariff with your current supplier. Read Citizen’s Advice’s guidance on switching energy supplier or tariff.

Groundworks’ Green Doctor service offers free advice to eligible people about paying energy debts and finding funding for home energy efficiency improvements.

You might be able to join the Priority Services Register, which helps utility companies to look after customers who have extra communication, access or safety needs.

If you’re in debt to your energy supplier, you might be able to get a grant to help pay it off. Check Citizen’s Advice’s guidance about grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills.

Lots of advice is available about how to use less energy and water to help reduce your bills, including:

• Cambridge Carbon Footprint’s ideas to help reduce costs and save energy
• Cambridge Water’s water-saving tips
• Energy Saving Trust’s energy saving tips
• Pect’s Energy Advice Service

Cambridge Carbon Footprint’s thermal camera training and loan scheme can help you identify where your home is leaking heat.

If you’re a pet owner, the RSPCA’s cost of living webpages provide advice and support including help with vet bills and finding pet-food banks.

Check the National Minimum Wage calculator to see if you’re being paid the right amount. You can also check when your employer can make deductions from your pay (such as for income tax, national insurance and student loan repayments).

If you believe you are not being paid the right amount or your deductions are incorrect, check Citizens Advice’s guidance about increasing your income.

If you’re over state pension age and on a low income, check whether you’re entitled to Pension Credit.

Check you’re paying the right amount of Income Tax.

Make sure that any family and friends who live with you are paying enough towards household expenses.

Check your eligibility for free help from the NHS for things like prescriptions, dental or glasses.

The NHS can also help you check your mental health symptoms.

Healthy You provides free and subsidised programmes to help you stop smoking, eat healthily and manage your weight, reduce alcohol consumption and more.

Free period products are available at foodbanks around the city.

If you live in a privately rented home, speak to your landlord at an early stage if you are concerned about being able to pay your rent. Check Citizens Advice’s guidance about paying rent.

If you’re a homeowner on qualifying benefits, you might be able to get help towards interest payments on your mortgage or any loans you’ve taken out for certain repairs and improvements to your home. Check the government’s support for mortgage interest.

Shelter can offer you advice if you are struggling with unmanageable rent or mortgage arrears.

You could save up to a third on train journeys with a railcard.

Secondary school children who are entitled to free school meals might also qualify for help with school transport costs.