Volunteering in Later Life: Finding a Role and Expenses
Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.
Volunteering in later life is a good way to stay busy, useful and connected, and there are roles to suit every level of energy, from an hour a week on the telephone to a regular shift in a charity shop. You should never be out of pocket, and volunteering does not usually affect benefits as long as you only receive genuine expenses.
What volunteering involves
Volunteering means giving your time, unpaid, to help an organisation or other people. It can be regular or occasional, at home or out and about. There is no upper age limit in general, though a few roles have age rules of their own, often because of insurance (driving roles are the usual example), so ask.
Roles that suit many people in later life include:
- Sociable: serving in a charity shop, welcoming visitors at a museum, heritage site or hospital, helping at a lunch club or community café.
- One to one: befriending an isolated person by visit or telephone, listening to children read at a primary school, driving neighbours to medical appointments.
- Outdoors: conservation work, tending a community garden, leading or marshalling a local walk.
- Using your career skills: acting as a charity trustee or treasurer, mentoring, book-keeping, advice work after training.
- From home: telephone befriending, knitting for charity, proof-reading, transcribing records for an archive.
Where to find roles
The national volunteering bodies differ in each part of the UK. These are the names listed on GOV.UK and the organisations' own sites at the time of writing (November 2026).
| Nation | Where to start |
|---|---|
| England | Your local volunteer centre or council for voluntary service. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) explains how to find one. For hospital and health roles, see NHS Volunteering. |
| Scotland | Volunteer Scotland, which has a searchable list of opportunities. |
| Wales | Volunteering Wales, the national site for finding roles. |
| Northern Ireland | Volunteer Now, which lists opportunities across Northern Ireland. |
GOV.UK's find volunteer opportunities page also points to organisations that work across more than one nation, including Volunteering Matters, which it describes as being for young, older and disabled volunteers, and Reach Volunteering, for people offering professional skills.
You do not have to go through a website. Often the simplest route is to ask directly at the charity shop, hospital, library, school, church, food bank or heritage site where you would like to help. Your local Age UK, Age Scotland, Age Cymru or Age NI nearly always needs volunteers and knows who else does.
What to expect when you apply
- A short application form and an informal chat.
- References, for many roles.
- A criminal record check if you will work with children or adults in vulnerable circumstances. The organisation arranges this and you should not be charged for it. The checking system has a different name in each nation; the organisation will explain.
- A written description of the role, a named person to go to, and insurance cover provided by the organisation.
Expenses
You are not paid for your time, but GOV.UK says volunteers may be given money to cover reasonable expenses they incur, such as travel, food and drink while volunteering, and any equipment or protective clothing the role needs.
- Keep bus tickets, parking receipts and a note of mileage if you drive, and claim regularly.
- Only claim what you actually spent. A flat-rate payment that is more than your real costs can be treated as earnings, which may be taxable and can affect benefits.
Volunteering and benefits
The government's guidance on volunteering and claiming benefits says you can volunteer while receiving benefits as long as you continue to meet all the conditions of your benefit. The main points are:
- Reasonable expenses that repay what you have actually spent will not usually affect your benefit. Money beyond that may reduce or stop it.
- Tell the office that pays your benefit about volunteering before you start, and if your hours change or you stop. You may be asked what you do, when, and what expenses you receive. The organisation can give you a letter confirming this.
- Unpaid work is different from volunteering. If you do a job that would normally be paid, or help in a business, you can be treated as if you were earning.
The State Pension is not affected by work, so it is not affected by volunteering. The official guidance does not deal separately with Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance or other benefits for people over State Pension age, so if you receive any of these and are unsure, check before you begin. The Pension Service, Citizens Advice or your local Age UK can tell you where you stand, free of charge. In Northern Ireland, nidirect publishes its own guidance.
If you would like company and activity without a commitment, see our u3a guide and walking groups and gentle exercise. And if you can no longer drive to a role, community transport schemes may help, and are themselves often looking for volunteers.
Common questions
Am I too old to volunteer?
Almost certainly not. Most organisations have no upper age limit and many rely on volunteers in their seventies and eighties. A few roles, such as driving, may have limits set by insurers.
Will volunteering affect my State Pension?
No. The State Pension does not depend on whether you work or volunteer.
Can I be paid expenses?
Yes, for costs you have genuinely incurred, if the organisation offers them. Keep your receipts.