HC2 and HC3 Certificates: Help With NHS Costs, Explained

The short version: if money is tight, the NHS Low Income Scheme can make NHS dental treatment, sight tests, glasses and hospital travel free or cheaper. You apply once and get a certificate, an HC2 or an HC3. Care home residents can apply too.

Most families have never heard of HC2 and HC3 certificates until a dentist or optician mentions one. They are worth knowing about, especially for an older parent on a modest income, or someone living in a care home, because NHS dental treatment is one of the costs that still catches people out.

What HC2 and HC3 certificates are

Both come from the NHS Low Income Scheme, run by the NHS Business Services Authority. You fill in one application, they look at your income, essential outgoings and savings, and if you qualify they send a certificate:

• HC2: full help. NHS dental treatment and NHS sight tests are free, and you get help with glasses, contact lenses, wigs and fabric supports, and travel to NHS treatment under a consultant.
• HC3: partial help. The certificate shows the most you have to pay towards these costs. The NHS covers the rest. With an HC3 you still pay for prescriptions in full.

The certificates can be used anywhere in the UK. They only apply to NHS treatment, not private treatment, so it's worth checking with the dentist that treatment is being done on the NHS before it starts.

Check first: you may not need one

Some people already get NHS dental treatment free without a certificate, for example if they receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Universal Credit within the earnings limits. If that applies, show the award letter at the dentist instead. Our Pension Credit guide is worth a look too, because many older people who qualify for it have never claimed.

Prescriptions are already free in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in England for everyone aged 60 or over. So for older people, the scheme mainly helps with dental treatment, glasses and hospital travel.

Who can apply

Anyone on a low income can apply, including pensioners and people living in a care home. There is a limit on savings, investments and property (not counting the home you live in):

• £16,000 for most people
• £23,250 if you live permanently in a care home in England (£24,000 in Wales)

If your relative lives in a care home

If the council helps pay the care home fees, even only part of them, there is a shorter form, the HC1(SC). In England you can request it on 0300 123 0849. In Scotland it is available from local pharmacies, and in Wales from the Welsh Government publications line. If the person pays their own fees in full, they use the standard application instead.

If you are applying on behalf of a parent who can’t manage the form themselves, the helpline can explain what is needed.

How to apply

• Online, if savings are no more than £6,000, via the NHS Low Income Scheme page.
• By post, using the HC1 form (or the HC1(SC) for council-supported care home residents).
• Help with the form: the NHS Low Income Scheme helpline is 0300 330 1343.

Certificates usually last between 6 months and 5 years, depending on circumstances. To renew, you fill in a new application.

Already paid? You may get money back

If you paid for NHS treatment before the certificate arrived, you can usually claim a refund. You can do this at the same time as you apply, but the claim must be received within 3 months of the date you paid, so keep receipts.

A simple checklist

• Check whether a benefit already gives free NHS dental treatment.
• If not, apply to the Low Income Scheme before treatment if you can.
• Make sure the treatment is NHS, not private.
• Show the certificate (or award letter) at every appointment.
• Keep receipts if you pay while waiting, and claim within 3 months.

This article is for general guidance only. Rules and limits can change and differ across the UK, so check with the NHS Low Income Scheme helpline or the NHS website for your situation.

If you’ve raised a concern and feel like it’s going nowhere: Read our guide on escalating a care home complaint →

You don’t have to navigate it alone.