Moneymap.scot, launched on November 23 last year by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), is the only tool of its kind in Scotland enabling people to self-help by identifying ways to help ease their money worries.

To mark the anniversary, CAS is revealing today that Moneymap has had a total of 117,764 hits over the last year. This works out at around 323 per day, or 1 every 4.5 minutes.

Myles Fitt, CAS financial health spokesman, said: “The numbers of people accessing Moneymap show that there’s a clear demand for this sort of support in Scotland at the moment. We’re very pleased that so many people have engaged with it and we urge more people to do so, particularly in this financially difficult environment with the furlough scheme ending along with higher energy costs and reductions in Universal Credit.

“Moneymap is for anyone to use and is an easy way to check whether you’re entitled to any benefits, grants, tax credits or discounts that you don’t know about. It also signposts how to access these entitlements, as well as offering tips on ways to save money.

“People can of course get the same help face-to-face or by phone from any CAB in the country, but we know that there are some people who prefer an online option, so we set this up to give them that choice and at a point in the pandemic when people were needing extra support for managing their finances.”

He added: “The tool is very easy to use and covers different aspects of someone’s financial situation to see if additional help is available. It’s amazing how often there’s an energy grant or maybe a Council Tax discount that people are entitled to but don’t know about. This tool will uncover those things and provide direction on where and how to apply for them.

“So as Moneymap enters its second year, we just want to remind people that it’s there and waiting for you to use it. Given the squeeze on people’s finances over the coming months and years, it’s going to become more valuable than ever.”