IS20 - A guide to Income Support

Making a claim

Limits to the amount to be deducted

The amount that we can deduct from your benefit to pay off debts for housing, fuel, water, fines, Council Tax or for maintenance is£ 8.70 a week (3 x £2.90). If this limit has been reached, or you are not getting enough benefit to cover all the third party deductions you need, you will have to arrange with the people you owe to pay off one or more of your debts in a different way.

There is also a limit to the amount we can deduct from your benefit without your consent. Your consent is required when the total amount being deducted for debts and current charges of housing, fuel, water and service charges (but not current charges of mortgage interest) exceeds 25% of your entitlement (less any extra amounts included in your benefit for housing costs).

Priority order

If you have more than 3 debts which you are unable to pay, or if you do not get enough benefit to cover all the deductions needed, each debt will be considered in order of priority. A maximum of 3 deductions to pay off arrears (plus an extra one to pay off Community Charge arrears, if appropriate) can be made and these are chosen in the following order of priority:

• mortgage payments
• rent arrears, including service for fuel and water
• fuel costs
• water and sewerage charges
• Community Charge or Council Tax arrears
• Unpaid Fines or compensation orders
• Child Support Maintenance
• Social Fund Loans
• recovery of Overpayment

Deductions for both Council Tax and Community Charge arrears will not be made at the same time.

A child support deduction, under the new scheme, is outside the priority order.

If you change your address

If a move to a new address means that you have to pay rent, fuel or water charges to someone different, we will stop any deductions that were being made to your old landlord or supplier before your move.

If you change your supplier

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