IS20 - A guide to Income Support

Making a claim

Deductions from benefit

In some situations the Department for Work and Pensions has the power to deduct an amount from the Income Support payment before you receive it. There are 6 main situations when this may be done:

• mortgage interest
• when you owe money to a third party, for example your landlord, a gas company, a water company or an electricity company, and the decision maker considers that it is in the interests of you or your family that payment of part of your benefit should be made to the third party. For mains fuel and water, direct deductions may also be made to cover current consumption
• when you are in arrears with your Council Tax or Community Charge and your local authority has obtained a liability order or summary warrant against you
• when a court has applied to recover a fine from your benefit.
• a deduction is made from your benefit for child maintenance
• when you have to pay back money to the Department for Work and Pensions because a Social Fund payment was made to you as a loan or because you have been overpaid benefit.

Third party deductions are amounts taken from your Income Support to help you pay some types of arrears and ongoing bills. They do not mean you get extra money to pay these costs.

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