When the tooth hurts
Who exactly is entitled to free dental care? Paul Lewis is here to fill you in.
Some people on low incomes are entitled to free NHS dental care. But if you get the rules wrong and claim when you’re not entitled, you’ll have to pay for the treatment and normally a fine of £100.
People over pension age whose income is low enough to get the means-tested pension credit often expect to qualify for free dental treatment. But not all of them do. There are two different parts to pension credit: one part is called guarantee credit, the other, savings credit. Only guarantee credit entitles you to free dental care.
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If you get both guarantee and savings credit, you also qualify. But if you only get savings credit then you’re not entitled to free dental care. This rule disqualifies around 187,000 pensioners who only receive savings credit. The 1.2 million who just get guarantee credit or who get guarantee credit and savings credit are entitled. Your letter from the Department for Work and Pensions will tell you which kind of pension credit you get, so before you go to the dentist, find that letter and check. You may even want to take it with you in case your dentist asks for proof.
Younger people also face confusing rules. There are about five million households on Universal Credit, which is a means-tested benefit for people under pension age. But getting Universal Credit is not by itself enough to qualify for free dental care. You must also have no earnings or net earnings of £435 a month or less (£935 or less if you have children or you have what is called limited capability for work).
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If you’re in a couple, those earnings limits apply to your combined pay. People who get tax credits, income support or earnings-related versions of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance may be entitled to free dental care – check the rules carefully. People under age 18, under 19 and in full-time education, or under 26 in Scotland are also entitled, and so are women who are pregnant or have given birth in the last year.
Always check before claiming as some rules differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more information on each, visit citizensadvice.org.uk.
QUESTIONS? Send any questions to paul.lewis@radiotimes.com. I cannot answer you personally, but I will reflect them in this column.