IS20 - A guide to Income Support

Who can get Income Support?

Couples

If you are a couple, married or unmarried, Civil Partners or un-registered Civil Partners, i.e. same sex couples who live together as civil partners, with children in your household for whom you are responsible, you are eligible for Income Support at the couple rate. You must, of course, satisfy the normal conditions for claiming. If one or both partners of a couple is under 18, special rules apply. Ask at your Jobcentre Plus office or social security office.

Rates of entitlement for 16 or 17 year olds

Once eligibility is established, entitlement is calculated using the appropriate allowances.

Single claimants and lone parents
There is a rate for 16 or 17 year olds, but people who have to live independently and people who qualify for the Disability Premium can receive the higher rate normally paid to 18 to 24 year olds. [Legislation (13)]

Couples
If claimants are eligible for the couple rate, their personal allowance will depend on age.

Care leavers aged 16 and 17
Since October 2001, care leavers in England and Wales who have left care and are relevant care leavers for the purposes of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 continue to be provided with maintenance and accommodation by responsible local authorities until they reach the age of 18. In these circumstances, care leavers are not entitled to Income Support unless they are lone parents or are sick or disabled persons.

The equivalent provisions were introduced in Scotland in April 2004 and relevant care leavers in Scotland are known as compulsory supported persons.

If you are 20 or over and single

Full-time courses
If you are studying on a full-time course you will be classified as a student. Most students, including those studying for postgraduate degrees and those on sandwich courses, but with the exception of those listed below, will not be able to claim Income Support. [Legislation (14)]

Students who can get Income Support
If you are a student, you can claim Income Support all year round if you: [Legislation (15)]

• are a lone parent and are responsible for a child under 16
• or are a lone foster-parent and are responsible for a child under 16
• or are disabled and qualify for the Disability Premium
• or qualify for a local education authority disabled student’s allowance because of deafness
• or have been in receipt of Income Support at any time in the previous 18 months as a disabled student under the definition of disabled student which operated before 1 September 1990 or as a disabled person under 20 in non-advanced education
• or you are a student who has been ill and incapable of work for a period of not less than 196 days
• or you have been granted refugee status and are attending an English language course for more than 15 hours a week and when that course started you had been in Great Britain for under a year; but Income Support will only be paid for a maximum of 9 months.

Students from abroad may get some help from the Income Support scheme in certain situations. See People from abroad.

Treatment of grants and loans
If you can get Income Support, the amount you get will depend on your income from sources such as a local education authority grant, loan or covenant income. Treatment of this income is explained in Income and Capital.

Previous / Contents / Next

back to top