This report was requested by then-Minister for Community Dr Stephen Ladyman MP after the launch of Shaping Our Lives’ National User Network in June 2003. At the launch event, Dr Ladyman heard a number of people relate how they had experienced problems with payments for participating in user involvement initiatives while receiving state benefits. This report, supported by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, aimed to detail those experiences. The report drew on evidence submitted by individual service users, service-user organisations, statutory and voluntary-sector service providers and academic institutions, and made a number of recommendations about how to address issues around payments to users who receive benefits in a way that honours a community/user-led approach.