You may find it difficult to talk about your money with other people, but it’s a good idea to ask for help if you need it, and to speak to someone you trust.

Why talking about money is a good idea

You may not want to talk about money for lots of sensible reasons. Money can be a private thing, and you may not want lots of people to know about your finances – whether you’re happy with them or not.

We’ve heard from many older people that they also worry about the taboo of talking about money, or claiming benefits. You shouldn’t feel ashamed for claiming money you are entitled to. Lots of people miss out on extra money like Pension Credit, because they don’t think they are eligible for it – even when they are.

You may also be wary of falling victim to scams. It is a good idea to be cautious of this, by keeping up with the latest information about how to spot when you’re talking to a scammer. Visit our scams hub for more information and updates.

Despite all this, it is important that you feel able to talk about money with people you trust – like friends, family, or a specialist adviser. 

Being honest about money can help you see your situation more clearly. This way, you can work out your money goals and how to achieve them. You might feel less anxious about your money after speaking about it with someone trustworthy.  It can also mean you get help to claim money you’re entitled to.

If you don’t know where to start, we have lots of information about topics like benefits, debt, the cost of living, or financial abuse – see our Money webpages. Learning more about these topics might help you narrow down what parts of your finances you’d like to talk about. 

Myself being in financial difficulty, I find talking about my situation extremely important to me.

Who can I trust to talk about my money?

If you can, start by opening up to friends or family about your money worries.

You can also talk to our Helpline – our information is impartial, free and expert. The calls are confidential, which means you can control what you share about the call, and who you share it with.

If you’re worried about the conversation being complicated or long-winded, you can ask for a free welfare benefits check. This should only take around 15 minutes. You’ll have to tell an adviser some figures about your income and savings – but only so that our advisers can check you’re getting the money you’re entitled to. 

What will an adviser ask?

What an adviser will ask will depend on the issue you are facing. You will normally have to share information like:

  • what are your current circumstances, including who lives with you 
  • income and savings amounts, including any benefits you currently receive
  • how much you pay for rent/mortgage and council tax.

If you want your eligibility for disability benefits to be assessed, an adviser may also ask questions about your health.

To prepare for your advice appointment, it might be helpful to have some of this information to hand. 

There are some things that you will never be asked to share during a call with our Helpline or advisers. These include:

  • your bank details
  • your PIN
  • any passwords – including one time passwords (OTPs).

An adviser will never call you out of the blue asking you to share or update confidential personal or financial details. 

Although I wasn’t eligible for Pension Credit, it was really beneficial to talk to an adviser who could carry out the calculations for me.

English isn’t my preferred language – can you help?

If you’d prefer to speak in a different language, we can give you information and support using a translation service. The call will still be free, expert, and confidential.

I have a hearing impairment – what can I do?

If you have a hearing impairment, you can still call our Helpline using Relay UK. With Relay UK, you can communicate using your computer, tablet or smartphone. Just download the app from the Relay UK website and a relay assistant will turn your text into speech. When our adviser responds, their speech will then be turned into text for you to read.

Also of interest

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Next steps

You can speak to an adviser by calling our Helpline on 0800 319 6789. 

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