Kinly

Kinly: support to access benefits in the UK

Kinly is a British company that guides older people through identifying and applying for benefits and support available at national and local level in the UK. Its approach focuses on simplifying a system that the firm itself describes as complex and costly, so that users can access what they are entitled to without facing the process alone.

Application services

Kinly's catalogue is organised around four main benefits:

• Attendance Allowance: extra income for people over 66 with daily difficulties arising from their health condition.
• Pension Credit: a means-tested benefit that tops up state pension income; the company estimates the average increase at around £4,300 a year.
• Blue Badge: a parking and mobility permit, for both drivers and passengers.
• Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP): the Scottish alternative to Attendance Allowance, worth up to £5,959 a year according to the website.

How it works

The process described by the company begins with an initial conversation to check which benefits the person may be eligible for. From there, Kinly supports each stage of the application and offers continuity through what it calls its community, with support throughout the ageing process. The firm states a processing time of 48 hours and a success rate of 97%, compared with the 40% it attributes to applications made without its involvement.

Fee model

Kinly states that many of its services have a cost, but that it does not charge upfront or hidden fees: it charges a one-off fee only if the application is successful. According to its explanation, this fee is usually covered by the initial back-dated payments made by the government, so the client does not pay anything in advance.

Team and institutional backing

The company says it has a team based in the UK, born from its founders' personal experience of caring for older relatives. Its advisers include Professor Dame Carol Black, former president of the Royal College of Physicians and of the Nuffield Trust for Health Policy; Vivien Yalcin, former executive in Age UK's information and advice team, who leads Kinly's benefits centre of excellence; and Professor Theodore Cosco, associate professor of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University and researcher at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, responsible for the firm's scientific research. The project is supported by Innovate UK through the Smart Grants programme.

Company details

Kinly operates as a trading name of Healthspan Technologies Ltd, company number 15728029. Its registered office is at Spaces Avon House, Avonmore Road, London W14 8TS.

Location and contact

Spaces Avon House, Avonmore Road London, W14 8TS · Phone: 0203 957 9510 · Email: info@kinly.org.uk · Hours: Monday to Thursday: 09:00–18:00; Friday: 09:00–17:00