Get Free Advice in Richmond

We provide free advice to anyone who lives, works or studies in Richmond borough, or cares for someone who lives in the borough.

If you need advice:

first check the links below which may give you the information you need
GRANT Applications
You can complete our online form (HERE) which will allow us to assess which grants you may be eligible for – you will need to provide 2 months bank statements for ALL accounts to apply for a grant
Claiming Universal Credit – if you need help to claim see below for details of our dedicated helpline number to phone
use our online benefit calculator to see what help you might get – keep your reference handy

By Email

please contact us by filling out the form here – you’ll need to enter a valid Richmond borough postcode and answer some questions about your problem
please fill in the form if you can because this helps us to prioritise more urgent queries at this very busy time

By Phone

Freephone 080 82 78 78 73
lines are open 10 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday
calls are free. We are very busy helping people, so you may have to wait or leave a message before we can speak to you

All our offices are now closed for drop-in advice and appointments.

Service Status – CoronaVirus (Covid-19)
Following Government advice, we are sorry to say that we have suspended all of our face-to-face services. We are still here to help our community through telephone and email advice.

The deadline for EU citizens and their family members, including children, to apply for Settled Status has now passed. If you missed the deadline we can advise you about your options – please contact us by email or phone if you need any assistance or advice.

We are recruiting a new Chief Executive – more details here

Get information online

The Citizens Advice webpage Coronavirus – what it means for you is updated daily and provides information and links on the problems people are facing at the moment
Citizens Advice provides online information on a wide range of issues from benefits through to managing your money
The Richmond Council Coronavirus page has information about getting help, local services, volunteering and support available locally
Richmond Community Hub gives helpline and email details for those who need support to access care, medical services or food
Government guidance on Coronavirus – gives guidance on health, employment financial support, business support, travel and schooling.
ACAS Coronavirus page gives information and guidance to employers and employees covering isolation, sick pay and layoffs. Their website also includes full employment query advice.

Check what benefits you can get

Our free online benefits calculator will tell you what welfare benefits you could get. Just answer all the questions (it should take about 10 minutes) and the calculator does the rest.

the details you provide are anonymous and confidential
before you start, make sure you have information about your savings, income, pensions and existing benefits (for you and your partner)
make a note of your reference number – if you need to contact us our advisers can then access your calculation

Get help to claim Universal Credit

Many more people are having to claim Universal Credit. Citizens Advice operates a national programme to help you apply for this benefit – click here for details

The service is available:

by phone on 0800 144 8 444 – lines are open 8 am to 6 pm every week day
by webchat– available 8 am to 6 pm Monday – Friday

About us

Citizens Advice Richmond is an independent local charity providing information and advice to anyone who lives, works or studies in Richmond borough. Our service is free, confidential and impartial. We aim to empower people to resolve their problems and change their lives for the better. We are a member of the national Citizens Advice service, a network of over 270 local advice centres in England and Wales.

As well as giving advice we aim to prevent the problems that affect people’s lives:

Campaigning for change – we collect evidence of the impact on our clients of practices and policies that cause their problems and we campaign to get a fairer deal for everyone
Money education – we offer courses, workshops and one-to-one help to empower people to avoid debt and increase confidence about personal finances

Partner organisations which have gained authorisation to refer clients to us should use the 3rd Party Referral Form which can be found here.

Find out how we’ve been helping local people during the COVID-19 lockdown in the video below. View or download our Coronavirus/COVID-19 Impact Poster: CAR Covid 19 response poster

Citizens Advice Richmond is not part of the national or local government and so we need to raise funds to maintain and expand our services.

Please consider supporting our advice and prevention work – the more money we can raise, the more people we can help.