Martin Lewis in £5,800 warning as earners under £35,000 to lose out - how to check

The money-saving expert has warned that millions of people may be missing out on multiple different types of benefit - means-tested and otherwise - and thousands of pounds

Martin Lewis has issued an urgent warning for Britons earning less than £35,000 per year as they could be eligible for a payout worth nearly £6,000.

The money-saving guru has embarked on a mission to ensure that workers are aware of every possible type of financial assistance they could receive from the government, with Universal Credit offering a vital lifeline for those earning less than the national average, or right on the line.

There are approximately 1.4 million people earning under that £35,000 threshold failing to claim up to £5,800 in basic Universal Credit payments for which they are eligible, the expert has said. The total is a combination of assistance people can receive for both living and housing costs, and Lewis has warned that median earners are not the only ones missing out.

MoneySavingExpert, the comparison site founded by Martin Lewis in 2003, states that those under £35,000 are the most likely to be missing out on payments from the catch-all benefit, but that people earning up to £60,000 may also not be getting everything for which they are eligible.

Households with income in the higher bracket are also eligible for cash, provided they have children and may have to tackle the higher childcare costs. The money site also warns that people on similar and lower incomes may also be missing out on other benefits, means-tested and otherwise, with 2.25 million people thought to be missing out on £1,500 of Council Tax support per year and approximately 530,000 people missing out on £4,250 of Carer's Allowance.

Who is eligible for Universal Credit?

People entitled to the benefit payments are usually:

• Out of work
• Working (including self-employed or part-time)
• Unable to work, because of health conditions or other related issues

While millions of people can claim Universal Credit aid, not everyone is immediately eligible, as people must meet a set of criteria before they can start claiming.

Prospective claimants must:

• Reside in the UK
• Be aged 18 or over (with limited exceptions for 16 and 17-year-olds)
• Be under State Pension age
• Have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments