IS20 - A guide to Income Support

The main Income Support rules

Income and capital

If you or your partner have any sort of income, it will normally be taken into account when your Income Support is worked out. Some types of income can be ignored, either in full or up to a certain amount. The Income and capital section explain these rules and how different types of income are treated.

If you and your partner have capital which, in total, comes to over £16,000, you will not be able to get Income Support. If the total is over £6,000 up to £16,000, this will affect how much Income Support you can get.

If you live in a care home, higher amounts – of £10,000 and £16,000 – apply. Some types of capital, such as your home and your personal possessions, are usually ignored. The Income and capital section for an explanation of what we count as capital.

National Insurance contributions

With Income Support there is no need for you to have made any contributions to the National Insurance (NI) scheme. And, even if you are getting a social security benefit such as Incapacity Benefit, you may be able to get Income Support as well.

Other rules

There are some exceptions to these rules, which mean that some people may still be able to get Income Support. Other groups may have to satisfy additional conditions to get benefit. These exceptions and additional conditions are explained in the next section. [Legislation (6)]

There are also interim and urgent Income Support payments which you may be able to get if you cannot get a normal Income Support payment. Even if you cannot get Income Support at all, you still may be able to get another social security benefit instead.

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