How will my benefits be affected?

Your State Pension stays the same irrespective of how long you are in hospital but a prolonged stay may affect the benefits you are entitled to.

If you are going into hospital, you should notify the Department for Work and Pensions and the Council office that deals with your claims for housing and council tax benefit. This is important as in most cases, your benefit entitlement will have to be reassessed to take account of your new circumstances.

To find out if the benefit you are claiming is affected by a stay in hospital or if there are any benefits that you may be entitled to please contact the Department for Work and Pensions.

You might also find the DirectGov benefits calculator useful.

For people of pensionable age	Pension Service - find the telephone number of your local office
For people of working age	Jobcentre Plus - find the telephone number of your local office

If you were not claiming benefits before you went into hospital, you may now be entitled to claim. It is important that everyone who is entitled to benefits or help receives all that they are entitled to.

Check our benefits and debt counselling web pages to find information about a range of benefits that you may be eligible for.