IS20 - A guide to Income Support

Who can get Income Support?

This section looks in detail at the Income Support entitlement.

The main groups of people Income Support is designed to help include:

• people who cannot work because of illness or disability
• certain people who can only work part-time
• lone parents
• people who have to stay at home to look after elderly, sick or disabled relatives.

Even if you are not in any of these groups you may still qualify if your income is lower than the amount of Income Support you would be entitled to.

People aged 16 or 17

Only some 16 or 17 year olds may be able to get Income Support. [Legislation (7)]

The rules listed below can also be explained in your social security office.

If you are 16 or 17 years old and unable to work or go on a training course, Income Support may be paid to you if you are:

• a lone parent
• registered blind
• ill or disabled and unable to work
• pregnant. But this is only for the period starting 11 weeks before the baby is due and ending 15 weeks after the pregnancy ends, or if you are incapable of work because of pregnancy (the incapacity must be a medical condition related to the pregnancy; pregnancy itself is not an incapacity)
• a person from abroad, in certain circumstances
• a refugee (and you have been in the UK for not more than 12 months) attending a course for the purpose of learning English for more than 15 hours a week. Income Support will only be paid for a maximum of 9 months
• a carer
• a student with a disability, including deafness
• required to attend court as a witness, juror, or party to the proceedings
• appealing against a decision that you are not capable of work
• getting a government training allowance which is less than your Income Support entitlement, in certain circumstances
• in full-time, non-advanced education and in one of the exceptional categories listed in the People in education section.

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