IS20 - A guide to Income Support

Who can get Income Support?

Trade disputes

If you are involved in a trade dispute, you are not entitled to Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). You may qualify for Income Support if you have a partner, but you will not be entitled to Income Support for the first 7 days after the stoppage began or after you withdrew your labour. [Legislation (20)]

Involvement in the dispute

To qualify for normal JSA payments as an unemployed person you have to prove that:

• you are not on strike yourself and you have not withdrawn your labour
• and your terms and conditions of employment will not be affected by the outcome of the dispute which caused the stoppage.

Whether you have withdrawn your labour or whether you are involved in the dispute may be considered by the decision maker at the Department for Work and Pensions. The decision maker will make the decision on your entitlement to JSA.

If you are unable to work because of illness or mental or physical disability, or if you are a woman who is expecting a baby within 6 weeks or who had a baby within the last 7 weeks, you will not be treated as involved in a dispute. You will be eligible to claim Income Support and will not suffer loss of any payment of Income Support due.

If you are not involved in the dispute
If it is decided that you are not involved in the dispute you can claim (JSA) under the normal rules.

If you are involved in the dispute
If it is decided that you are involved in the dispute, you cannot get JSA or Income Support for your own needs. But other members of your family may get Income Support to meet their needs if they are not involved in the dispute. If your partner claims for the family as unemployed, they may get JSA. However, the assessment rules are different.

If you have no partner

If you have no partner and you are involved in a trade dispute, you are not entitled to any Income Support. However, you may be able to get some help from the Social Fund in certain circumstances. See guide SB16 A guide to the Social Fund.

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