Redundancy or reduced hours
Losing work or having your hours cut is not your fault, but it can quickly put pressure on bills. Acting early gives you more options.
First steps
- 1Work out your new monthly income and list your essential bills.
- 2Pay priority bills first: rent or mortgage, council tax, energy and court fines.
- 3Check what benefits you may now be able to claim, such as Universal Credit.
- 4Tell your lenders early — many can pause or lower payments for a while.
Your rights at work
- You may be owed redundancy pay, notice pay and unused holiday pay.
- If you have worked for your employer for two years or more you may get statutory redundancy pay.
- Acas offers free, impartial help on workplace rights.
Money you may be able to get
- Universal Credit can help if your income has dropped — even if you are still working some hours.
- You may get a Council Tax Reduction from your local council.
- Use a free benefits calculator to check what you could get.
Useful links
Want to talk it through? It's free and confidential.