WELFARE BENEFITS UNIT
Registered charity 1164225 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as WBU
The Welfare Benefits Unit offers specialist welfare benefits advice to those who work with members of the public. We provide independent support through our advice line (North Yorkshire and York), publications, training, consultancy, campaigns and projects.
Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net income of £32,994 for the year, with unrestricted funds decreasing to £61,774. The trustees note that current council funding does not fully cover core costs, yet they maintain free reserves of £58,545, which is below their stated policy target of at least three months' operational expenditure (£68,755).
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: three months' operational expenditure (held: £59k)
“The Trustees propose to maintain the charity’s reserves at a level which is at least equivalent to three months’ operational expenditure and not exceeding nine months’ operational expenditure. This would equate to between £68,755k and £206,325k based on budgeted activity.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Pension scheme deficit: £7k
“The estimated cost of withdrawal (i.e. the contingent liability) has been calculated at September 2024 as £6,848.” — page 14
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (26/10/2016) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- David Harbournechair
- David Braithwaite
- Dr Katie Pybus
- Louise Maxwell
- Mark Taylor
- Nicola Welch
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout England
Income and spending
Common questions
Is WELFARE BENEFITS UNIT financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net income of £32,994 for the year, with unrestricted funds decreasing to £61,774. The trustees note that current council funding does not fully cover core costs, yet they maintain free reserves of £58,545, which is below their stated policy target of at least three months' operational expenditure (£68,755). Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.
Who funds WELFARE BENEFITS UNIT?
Funders whose own accounts filings name WELFARE BENEFITS UNIT as a grant recipient include THE LEGAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION, TWO RIDINGS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with INDEPENDENT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVICES.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.