The HC1 form is the application for the NHS Low Income Scheme, a means-tested programme in England that helps people on modest incomes with the cost of NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, sight tests, glasses, travel to hospital appointments, and wigs or fabric supports. You qualify if your weekly income is at or below your assessed weekly requirements (a personal allowance plus essential housing costs), and if your savings and other capital fall within set limits. Fill it in, send it off with evidence of your income and outgoings, and if you’re eligible you’ll be issued a certificate that either covers your NHS costs in full or caps what you have to pay.
What the Certificate Pays For
A successful HC1 application produces a certificate that helps with five categories of NHS cost: prescription charges (currently £9.90 per item in England),1NHS. NHS Prescription Charges NHS dental treatment (from £27.40 for a Band 1 check-up up to £326.70 for Band 3 work such as crowns or dentures),2NHS. How Much NHS Dental Treatment Costs sight tests and vouchers toward glasses or contact lenses, travel costs when you’ve been referred by a doctor for NHS treatment, and NHS wigs and fabric supports.3NHS Business Services Authority. HC1 Claim for Help with Health Costs
Check First Whether You Already Get Help Automatically
You may not need the HC1 form at all. People on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Pension Credit Guarantee Credit are already entitled to full help with NHS costs. Universal Credit claimants can qualify too, depending on take-home pay in their most recent assessment period.4NHSBSA. HWHC – Universal Credit The Low Income Scheme is for people who fall outside those automatic routes but still find NHS charges hard to meet.
Who Qualifies
Eligibility is a straight comparison between your weekly income and your weekly requirements. Requirements are made up of a personal allowance for day-to-day living plus your essential housing costs, such as rent, mortgage interest, or council tax. If your income is equal to or less than your requirements, you get full help. You also get full help if your income exceeds your requirements by no more than half the current prescription charge.5NHS. NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS)
If your income is somewhat above your requirements, you’re not turned away. You’ll get partial help on a sliding scale, with your certificate showing how much you have to contribute toward each cost.
Capital Limits
Whatever your income, your savings, investments, and any property you own besides your home must not exceed £16,000, or £23,250 if you live permanently in a care home. Above the relevant limit, you can’t get help through the scheme.5NHS. NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS)
Documents to Have Ready
The form asks for detailed financial information, and it’s easier to work through in one sitting if you have everything to hand.
For income, gather evidence of every source for you and your partner, including wages, pensions, and any state benefits. If you’re employed, include your payslips: five if you’re paid weekly or fortnightly, two if you’re paid monthly or every four weeks.6NHSBSA. What Evidence of Payslips Must I Send with My Application
For capital, you’ll need bank statements, details of shares, bonds, or other investments, and information about any property you own besides your main home. Leaving something out can lead to a penalty later.
For housing and living costs, have your rent agreement or mortgage statement, council tax bill, and any childcare receipts. These feed directly into your requirements figure and affect how much help you receive.
How to Apply
The form is officially called “Claim for help with health costs.” You can download and print it from the NHSBSA website, order a printed copy by post, or pick one up at some GP surgeries, NHS hospitals, dental practices, and Jobcentre Plus offices.3NHS Business Services Authority. HC1 Claim for Help with Health Costs Follow the guidance notes and fill in every section; blank boxes and rough estimates slow the assessment down and can leave you with less help than you’re due.
By Post
Send the completed form with your supporting documents to the NHS Low Income Scheme at NHS Business Services Authority, Bridge House, 152 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6SN. You’ll need a stamp. Tracked or recorded delivery is worth the extra cost so you have proof of arrival, and it’s sensible to photocopy the form and every document before you post the originals.7NHSBSA. NHS Low Income Scheme – Section: Where to Send Your HC1
Online
The NHSBSA also runs an online application that takes about 20 minutes. It asks tailored questions, confirms receipt straight away, and gives you a reference number.8NHSBSA. Apply Online for Help with NHS Costs If your circumstances are more complex, the eligibility check at the start may send you to the postal HC1 instead.
What Happens After You Apply
The NHSBSA aims to process applications within 18 working days. If the assessor needs more information, they’ll contact you, and a decision usually follows within five working days of your reply.9NHSBSA. Current Applications – Dates Being Processed
A successful application produces one of two certificates. An HC2 gives full help: it covers the full cost of NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, sight tests, optical vouchers, travel to NHS treatment, and NHS wigs and fabric supports.10NHSBSA. HC2 Certificates (Full Help with Health Costs) An HC3 gives limited help, showing the maximum you have to pay toward each health cost, with the scheme covering the rest.5NHS. NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS) Show your certificate at the pharmacy, dentist, or optician. Without it, you’ll be charged in full and have to claim the money back.
How Long the Certificate Lasts
Most HC2 and HC3 certificates last 12 months. Longer or shorter periods apply in specific cases:
- Five years for single people aged 65 or over, or couples where one is at least 60 and the other at least 65, provided neither has earnings or an occupational, personal, or private pension.
- Until the end of the academic year for final-year students and those on a one-year course.
- 12 months or until the holder’s 18th birthday, whichever is longer, for care leavers.
- Six months for asylum seekers.
Renewal isn’t automatic. If you want continuous cover, submit a fresh HC1 before your current certificate expires.11Business Services Authority. How Long Are HC2 and HC3 Certificates Valid
Refunds for Costs You’ve Already Paid
If you paid for NHS treatment before your certificate arrived, or before you knew you qualified, you can claim the money back, but the deadline is tight: your refund claim must reach the NHSBSA within three months of the date you paid, or within three months of a sight test. For prescription charges, use form FP57, the receipt and refund slip the pharmacy should have given you at the counter. For dental treatment, sight tests, glasses or contact lenses, travel, and wigs or fabric supports, use the relevant HC5 form. Apply as soon as you think you might qualify, and keep every receipt in the meantime.5NHS. NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS)
Penalties for Claiming an Exemption You’re Not Entitled To
The NHSBSA checks claims against entitlement records and may send an enquiry letter asking you to prove your exemption. If you don’t respond within 28 days, you’ll be issued a Penalty Charge Notice for five times the original charge, up to a maximum of £100, on top of the charge itself. Leave that unpaid for another 28 days and a surcharge may be added.12NHSBSA. Understanding Penalty Charges The common trap is ticking the exemption box out of habit after a certificate has expired. Note your expiry date, and if you’re not sure of your status when you’re being treated, pay and claim a refund rather than risk the penalty.