Benefits & money · England
Help with your benefits
Your browser or device provides the reading voice.
This guide is for people in England.
You can read it with someone you trust.
You can ask for help with benefit letters and forms.
You can still take part and share your wishes.
Ask the benefit office what permission your helper needs.
Helping with a form does not make someone your appointee.
An appointee officially manages someone’s benefits.
DWP checks whether this arrangement is needed.
DWP must confirm the appointment.
Being a family member does not automatically make someone an appointee.
The appointee must use the benefits for the person’s needs.
They must report changes to DWP.
An appointee cannot automatically decide everything about your life.
Your wishes and everyday choices still matter.
Ask for letters you can understand.
Ask for a review if the arrangement is not working.
Check deadlines when you need to reply.
What you can do next
Contact the benefit office named on your letter.
You could say: Please explain what help and permission I need.
Read the official DWP appointee guide Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Help someone with a benefit claim Web page
Check what permission the benefit office needs.
- Ask for accessible DWP documents Web page
Find the accessibility contact route.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Help with benefits and DWP appointees
Support with a claim, formal appointments and the limits of an appointee’s role.
DWP benefit claims and support · England
Start with the help you need
You may want someone to read a letter, organise evidence, fill in a form with you or join a call. GOV.UK explains how a person with a genuine connection can help with a claim. Ask the benefit office what permission or written authority it needs. Ordinary assistance does not automatically require an appointee.
Keep the claimant involved
A learning disability does not automatically mean someone cannot make a particular decision. Use accessible explanations, communication aids, time and a familiar supporter. A person may need help with a complicated claim while still making everyday spending choices. Record what the person wants and how their views were understood, including when they communicate without speech.
When a formal appointment is needed
If someone cannot manage their benefits, contact DWP about appointeeship. DWP assesses the claimant’s needs and the proposed appointee’s suitability. A relative is not automatically appointed. Formal authority starts when DWP confirms the appointment, usually using form BF57.
Know the responsibilities
The appointee maintains claims, reports relevant changes and uses benefit money in the claimant’s best interests. Keep clear records and explain spending accessibly. Tell DWP promptly about problems. Ask for review if the person can now manage benefits or the arrangement is no longer suitable.
Understand the limits
Appointeeship concerns benefits. It does not give blanket authority over property, other bank accounts, medical treatment or where someone lives. Those matters need their own decision-making support and, where necessary, appropriate legal authority. A Court of Protection deputy or an attorney has a different role. Ask the organisation concerned what authority is required.
Make paperwork manageable
Ask for documents in an accessible format and explain the communication support you need. Keep copies, note deadlines and agree who will respond. If a letter refuses or changes a benefit, check the challenge route separately. Asking for help or making a complaint does not automatically extend a deadline. A welfare rights adviser can help organise the next steps.
Words you could use
“Please explain whether I need ordinary claim support or an appointee, and how I will be involved in decisions.”
More useful links
- Help someone with a benefit claim Web page
Check what permission the benefit office needs.
- Ask for accessible DWP documents Web page
Find the accessibility contact route.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 27 October 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- DWP: becoming an appointee Web page
Appointment, responsibilities and ending or reviewing an arrangement.
- GOV.UK: helping with a benefit claim Web page
Assistance and permission without formal appointeeship.
- DWP: accessible documents Web page
Requesting information in an accessible format.
- NHS: Mental Capacity Act Web pageFuller information
Decision-specific capacity, support and participation.
- GOV.UK: deputies and other decision-making arrangements Web page
Different legal roles and the scope of court authority.
- GOV.UK: challenging a benefit decision Web page
Separate deadlines and routes when entitlement is disputed.