This way for free money Seven places you could find some cash

Forget pennies down the back of the sofa – here are seven easy ways you could track down some free money

Child Benefit confusion

Since Child Benefit rules changed in 2013, many parents have missed out on vital National Insurance credits that count towards your state pension. If you are a stay-at-home parent with a partner earning more than £60,000, you should still register for child benefit to protect your NI credits – just tick the box on the form to say no to payments. Find out more at moneyadviceservice.org.uk.

Defunct direct debits

We waste around £40 a month on direct debits we’ve forgotten about but never cancelled, or recurring payments set up on credit or debit cards (called continuous payment authority). Go through your latest bank statement or check online and purge the policies you no longer need and memberships you no longer use.

Help for carers

If you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone who receives Attendance

Allowance, Disability

Living Allowance or the Personal

Independence

Payment (soon to replace the Disability

Living Allowance), you could get £64.60 a week. To qualify for the Carer’s Allowance, you must be earning no more than £120 a week after tax and expenses, which can include half your pension contributions. Find out more at gov.uk/carers-allowance.

Winning numbers

Check your premium bond numbers at nsandi.com. There’s over £60m worth of unclaimed prize money in the pot, with no time limit on claims. Also, take a minute to check lottery ticket numbers at national-lottery.co.uk. Unclaimed wins range from £55,000 to a whopping £1m, and you’ve got six months from the draw

date to claim.

Find lost accounts

There are billions of pounds lining the coffers of banks, building societies and National Savings & Investments in inactive and forgotten accounts. Track down savings and pensions using the free tracing service at mylostaccount.org.uk to see if any of it’s yours. If you’ve moved jobs and have lost track of pensions pots in different schemes, find them using the government’s free Pension Tracing Service at gov.uk/ find-pension-contact-details or call 0800 731 0193.

Make that claim

Many people stumped up for payment protection insurance (PPI) when it was added to loans or credit card deals without their knowledge. If PPI payments show up on old statements and you feel it was mis-sold, act fast to claim compensation before the 29 August deadline. You may also be able to claim if you took out a payday loan you couldn’t afford to repay with a company that didn’t check your financial history carefully enough. Ignore cold calls from firms offering to make these claims for you. There are free step-bystep guides to doing this yourself at moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim.

Good news for singles

Don’t forget that you can claim a 25% discount on your council tax if you’re the only adult in the house. Go to gov.uk/apply-for-council-taxdiscount for more.

DON’T feel bad about reclaiming money you should never have paid.