Nationwide helps discover £75 million in annual unclaimed benefits through new calculator, supporting over 11,000 households

Nationwide wanted to help more customers access vital financial support at a time when millions across the UK are missing out on the benefits they’re entitled to.

An estimated £24 billion goes unclaimed each year, with many people unaware they are eligible, daunted by complex systems, or unable to access digital services.

With 4.5 million children now living in poverty and the cost of living crisis continuing to bite, ensuring people can understand and claim their full entitlement has become increasingly important.

For Nationwide, the challenge was clear: remove the barriers of awareness, complexity and digital exclusion, and make it easier to complete a benefits check and take the first step towards greater financial stability.

Furthermore, the initiative was directly supported by Nationwide’s members, with research confirming that providing this vital support is a natural and expected fit for the Nationwide brand.

Nationwide partnered with Policy in Practice to launch a benefits checking service that offers both a self-serve online and app calculator, and a free expert telephone helpline.

This dual approach ensures that people who can’t or prefer not to use digital services can still receive exactly the same level of support.

The Better Off Calculator is available both online and over the telephone, making Nationwide the first financial services provider to offer free benefits support by phone as well as digitally.

By offering a choice of channels, the service ensures that people who cannot, or would rather not, use digital services can still access the same level of support.

The calculator helps people understand what benefits they may be entitled to and makes what can be a daunting and confusing process easier to navigate.

The service is available through Nationwide’s website, app and a dedicated telephone line, helping to address digital exclusion and widen access to support.

The partnership also aligned with Nationwide’s broader strategy: banking, but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.

The impact was significant and immediate.

Since the calculator launched in June 2025, more than 18,000 people have submitted a calculation.

Over 11,000 households discovered they could be entitled to an average of £560 extra per month, roughly equivalent to a typical UK household’s monthly bills for energy, council tax, water, insurance, and basic digital services.

This equates to £75.3 million a year in unclaimed benefits identified.

By offering a telephone assisted route alongside digital access, Nationwide has created one of the most inclusive benefits checking services in the financial sector, helping thousands of households understand and access support they may otherwise have missed and overcome barriers that often stop people from completing a claim.

The scale and amount identified by the service clearly demonstrates the strong demand for inclusive, easy to use support, and the important role large financial providers can play in helping to close the unclaimed support gap.

Nationwide Building Society has shown what is possible when a major financial provider uses its reach, trust, and customer focus to close the gap between people and the support they urgently need.

1. Inclusive design is possible and expands reach
Offering benefits support both online and by telephone ensures people who are digitally excluded, or who prefer not to use online services, can still access help

2. Trusted platforms increase engagement
Providing a free, reputable benefits calculator through a familiar, trusted organisation helps reduce barriers to take up and encourages people to check their eligibility

3. Clear, guided tools remove complexity
Turning complex eligibility rules into a simple, smoother customer journey makes it easier for people to understand and claim the support they may be entitled to

4. Scale enables rapid impact
Deploying data led tools at scale allows organisations to identify significant unclaimed support quickly and connect large numbers of households to meaningful extra income

5. Partnership strengthens outcomes
Combining organisational reach with specialist policy and data solutions helps deliver practical, accessible support to those who need it