Veterans, people serving in the armed forces and their dependants may be able to claim a range of benefits in the UK. These include:
Universal Credit
Child Benefit
Statutory Sick Pay
Armed Forces Independence Payment
Personal Independence Payment
Sure Start Maternity Grant
Jobseekers Allowance
You can use a benefit calculator to check what benefits you can get. You’ll need to know details about your:
income – including any earnings or benefits
rent and living costs
savings and investments
If you are a veteran living abroad, or you are serving in the armed forces abroad, you and your dependants may still be able to claim some benefits in the UK. You may be able to claim:
Maternity Allowance
Child Benefit
Employment and Support Allowance
Jobseekers Allowance (in certain European Union countries only)
If you are refused a benefit you think you should get, you can contact the Royal British Legion for help to appeal for overseas support.
You may be able to get a tax-free relief payment for your council tax or contributions you pay instead of council tax. You may be able to get a relief payment if you are serving abroad in the armed forces and pay:
council tax on a property in the UK, or
contributions instead of council tax for service family accommodation
Payments are issued at the end of your time abroad. They are based on the number of days served abroad.
If you have served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq you should receive payments covering any period of service abroad since 1 October 2007.
If you were deployed in the following locations from 1 February 2008, you should receive payments covering any period of service abroad:
Bahrain
Bosnia
British Forces South Atlantic Islands
Diego Garcia
Kosovo
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Royal Navy Ships in receipt of Deployment Welfare Package (Overseas)
United Nations Operations.
If you were deployed in Libya from 1 July 2011, you should receive payments covering any period of service abroad.
If you think you might be entitled to Council Tax Relief, you can contact your Unit human resources staff.
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Page last reviewed in October 2025
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