European Union (EU) Settled Status Scheme - I haven't applied for the EU Settlement Scheme

I am an EEA national living in the UK since before the end of 2020 and I have not yet applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. What does this mean for my benefit entitlement? 

You need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme and you should get immigration advice on how to best explain why you have not applied until now and to prove your residence in the UK. The general deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021, but applications can be made after this date if you have ‘reasonable grounds’ for missing that deadline.  

Until you make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme you will be excluded from most benefits. This is because, as someone who requires leave and does not have it, you are defined as a ‘person subject to immigration control’.

Once you make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled or pre-settled status, you are no longer a ‘person subject to immigration control’. You can access benefits under the rules for people who have made an application and are waiting for a decision.