Better financial assessments, faster decisions
Capture consistent financial information in minutes, helping caseworkers assess affordability, identify vulnerability and connect people with the right support.
Income and expenditure assessments shouldn't be a barrier to support
Traditional income and expenditure forms can be time-consuming and difficult to complete. Applicants often need to gather financial information, estimate spending and repeat the same assessment for different organisations.
For support teams, incomplete or inconsistent information creates extra administration and slows decision-making.
Lightning Reach provides a guided income and expenditure assessment that makes the process easier for applicants while giving organisations the financial information they need to assess eligibility more efficiently. This feature powers our Budget Checker solution, helping applicants understand their finances and discover personalised financial support. (Link to Budget Checker page.)
Benefits of Income & Expenditure Assessment
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Make assessments quicker and easier
Applicants can complete a guided assessment in around 10 minutes, with the option to securely pre-fill income and spending using Open Banking.
Improve the quality of financial information
Built around the Standard Financial Statement (SFS) framework, the assessment captures consistent financial information while reducing unnecessary questions that often lead to drop-offs.
Turn assessments into support opportunities
Every completed assessment automatically matches applicants with more than 2,500 grants, benefits and other support schemes, helping people discover additional help they may not have known about.
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Built for better financial decisions
Lightning Reach has been designed to balance simplicity with robust financial assessment. Applicants can either enter their income and expenditure manually or securely connect their bank account through Open Banking to pre-fill financial information. Non-priority household spending is estimated using recognised SFS guidance and household size, reducing one of the biggest reasons applicants abandon traditional budget forms.
For organisations, every completed assessment provides a clear financial summary, including income, expenditure, surplus or deficit calculations and indicators of potential financial vulnerability such as fuel or water poverty. Caseworkers can also see whether information was provided through Open Banking or entered manually, helping them determine the level of verification required.
What our partners say
With the Lightning Reach application form you get far more details, you get the specifics, the little bits that you can't expect an officer on the phone to go through because it takes so long.
Justine, PA Housing
By using Lightning Reach's guided income and expenditure assessment, PA Housing streamlined financial assessments, reduced administration and helped residents access additional support they may otherwise have missed.
Finding support through
Lightning Reach
Need help? We've answered some of the questions we hear most often.
What is digital voucher delivery?
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What is the Income & Expenditure Assessment?
It's a guided financial assessment that captures an applicant's income, expenditure and debt, providing organisations with a clear picture of affordability while helping applicants discover relevant support.
How long does it take to complete?
Most applicants complete the assessment in around 10 minutes.
Can applicants use Open Banking instead of entering everything manually?
Yes. Applicants can securely connect their bank account through Open Banking to automatically populate income and spending information, reducing manual data entry and improving accuracy.
Is the assessment based on the Standard Financial Statement?
Yes. The assessment is designed around the principles of the Standard Financial Statement (SFS), using a streamlined question set to maximise completion rates while collecting the information organisations need.
Can applicants reuse their assessment?
Yes. Once completed, the budget can be reused across multiple applications and downloaded as a PDF to share with other organisations, avoiding the need to complete the same assessment again.
How does this help organisations make decisions?
Caseworkers receive a clear summary of income, expenditure, debt, surplus or deficit, alongside indicators of financial vulnerability. They can also see whether financial information was verified through Open Banking or entered manually.
Does completing the assessment help applicants find more support?
Yes. Every completed assessment automatically matches applicants with more than 2,500 grants, benefits and other support schemes available through Lightning Reach.
