Hundreds of thousands of the less well off will stop accessing free NHS dentistry and GP prescriptions – check if you’re exempt from NHS charges and how to apply
Up to half a million people on low incomes could stop accessing free dentistry from Sunday amid confusion over whether they are still exempt from NHS charges. The British Dental Association is calling for £100 fines for ‘misclaiming’ free NHS dentistry to be paused during a transition period to give patients time to work out if they are still eligible.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves ’ Spring Statement last Wednesday confirmed plans to scrap half a million recipients of Tax Credit Certificates in England – who are exempt from NHS dental charges and GP prescription fees – and require them to apply to receive Universal Credit instead.
READ MORE: Huge number of Brits to lose access to free dental work or prescriptions within days
This change will also hit recipients across all four UK nations and tax credit recipients will lose automatic access to NHS fee exemption certificates from April 6. The BDA says there is widespread public confusion around the changes. Previously everyone on tax credits automatically got free healthcare whereas from next week only some Universal Credit recipients will qualify.
The Mirror is highlighting the issue as part of our Dentists for All campaign.
What are the benefit changes?
The Spring Statement saw Chancellor Rachel Reeves announce a number of benefit changes clamping down on eligibility criteria. Up until now anyone has been exempt from paying dental charges and GP prescription fees if their annual family income was £15,276 and they receive either:
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit paid together
- Working Tax Credit including a disability or severe disability element
If you met these conditions HM Revenue and Customs automatically informed the NHS which sent out an NHS tax credit exemption certificate. You didn’t need to apply.
From Saturday tax credits will no longer be paid and access to free healthcare will stop when the latest NHS exemption certificate expires. Instead people receiving tax credits are being moved to Universal Credit and people will have to apply to see if they continue to meet a range of conditions and are still entitled to full help with health costs.
How to see if you qualify for free NHS care
To be eligible for free NHS dental treatment when receiving Universal Credit a household’s monthly take-home pay must be £435 or less, or £935 or less if the claim includes a child or an adult partner who has limited capability for work.
To apply for Universal Credit visit Gov.uk and type it into the search bar. To see if you qualify for free or discounted NHS care visit the NHS Business Services Authority website and use the NHS Low Income Scheme eligibility checker.
You can download an HC1 form from the website or obtain one from a Jobcentre Plus office, NHS hospital, doctor, dentist or optician. Use this to apply for either a HC2 Certificate, which exempts you from NHS dental and prescription charges, or a HC3 Certificate which entitles you to discounted rates.
When claiming free NHS dental treatment, you may need to show your HC2 certificate or your Universal Credit award notice. Anyone who has a HC2 or HC3 certificate due to receiving tax credits can continue to use it until it expires. If you do not have a certificate and are unsure of your eligibility, pay for your treatment and ask for a receipt, as you may be able to claim a refund.
Why is this a problem?
Exemptions based on previous benefits like income support and tax credits did not include such a complex process and operated on a simple yes/no basis for access to free dental care.
The transition to Universal Credit from other benefits started under the previous Tory government. The British Dental Association analysis shows 7.8 million claims were made for free dental care by adults in England in 2015/16, falling to 5.4 million in 2023/24.
The BDA examined all the benefit groups transitioning to Universal Credit and has found no corresponding growth in paying adult NHS patients. This means 2.3 million fewer appointments were claimed by this group which includes people on low incomes who generally have worse oral health. Many became ineligible while others were simply unclear whether they still qualified for free NHS care.
Over 500,000 free appointments were claimed by Tax Credit Certificate recipients last year, down from nearly 2.5 million in 2015/16 as a result of the Universal Credit transition. These remaining half a million will lose automatic access to NHS fee exemption certificates from April 6.
The BDA is calling for transition period to be introduced so tax credit recipients are not slapped with £100 fines. The professional body is calling for the transition period to be used to roll out Real Time Exemption Checking to NHS dentists – a system that already exists in pharmacies and allows chemists to quickly check its database and tell customers if they are exempt from NHS charges so they don’t have to go through the process of applying.
