Income Support

Last updated April 2005

What is it?
Can I get it?
What else should I know?
Studying
How much will I get?
How do I claim?
You can download an Income Support claim form
I am already getting it. What happens if:
I go into hospital or someone I claim for goes into hospital?
I go to live abroad or visit?
I am part of a service family living abroad or visiting?
If I start work but my sickness or disability means I have to stop again?
I start voluntary work?

I go into a residential care or nursing home?
Permitted work rules
More information
Other help
Definitions

This benefit is dealt with by Jobcentre Plus.

What is it?

• Income Support is an income-related benefit for people aged from 16 years up to age 60 that are on a low income.
• Savings over £8,000 usually mean you cannot get Income Support. 
• If you have to attend your Jobcentre regularly, you cannot get Income Support.

Can I get it?

Are you:

• In Great Britain
• Aged between 16 and 59?
• On a low income?
• Not working or working on average less than 16 hours a week?

If YES to all, claim Income Support.

Over 60?

• If you or your partner are aged 60 or over you may be entitled to Pension Credit.
• Pension Credit provides a contribution to a guaranteed minimum income and rewards people aged 65 and over who have made modest provision for their retirement.
• Pension Credit is dealt with by The Pension Service. To find out more about Pension Credit visit The Pension Service Website.

What else should I know?

You will not have to attend the Jobcentre if you are a lone parent, sick or disabled, unable to work because you are caring for someone, or registered blind.

If you are responsible for at least one child or young person, you may be able to get Child Tax Credit (CTC). For more information go to the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) website. Families already on Income Support in April 2004 who have not already claimed CTC will be moved across to CTC in 2005. CTC is paid into the Income Support customer's account on migration. If you want to have it paid to the main carer, you must contact the HMRC to get it changedIf you are a lone parent, you will usually have to attend a Work Focussed Interview with a Personal Adviser before you can get Income Support

If you are not a lone parent, and you live in an area with a fully converted Jobcentre Plus office or certain other designated offices, you will usually have to attend a Work Focussed Interview with a Personal Advisor before you can get Income Support

If you have to regularly attend your Jobcentre, you may be able to get Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)

If you have a partner who works an average of 24 hours a week or more you cannot usually get Income Support

If you have a partner who works an average of less than 24 hours a week, their earnings will usually affect the amount of Income Support you can get.

Pregnant women and people with children aged under five get free milk and vitamins, usually via the Department of Health.

Savings over £3,000 usually affect how much Income Support you can get.

You may be able to get extra money to help towards certain housing costs.

You can usually get extra money for your family if you have claimed before 06/04/04.  After this date if you have children you want to claim for you will need to claim Child Tax Credit.

You may be able to get Income Support if you or your partner are not working because of parental leave.

You may be able to get Income Support if you are on paternity leave.

If you have a partner where benefit is still in payment after 26 weeks of the claim, they will be required to attend a Work Focussed Interview with a Personal Advisor

If you are sick and not getting Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) you should claim Incapacity Benefit as well as Income Support.

If you get SSP you do not have to claim Incapacity Benefit as well as Income Support.

Check with your social security office to see if you are on a low income for Income Support or Pension Credit.

Severely disabled people who get the highest rate of Disability Living Allowance for care will usually be able to get more Income Support. This is part of the new Disability Income Guarantee.

If you have recently come from abroad there are some extra rules.

Studying

If you are studying, you may be able to get Income Support while you are on your course if you are a lone parent, sick or disabled, or registered blind. Check with your social security office.

If you are studying up to A level or equivalent, you may be able to get Income Support while you are on your course if you are unable to work because you are caring for someone.

If you are still at school you cannot usually get Income Support for yourself.

If you are still at school you may be able to get Income Support if you are:

• Looking after your own child
• An orphan and nobody is looking after you
• Unlikely to be able to get a job because of a severe disability.

If you are still at school you may also be able to get Income Support if you are:

• Not living with your parents or being supported by them
• Not in touch with your parents
• Separated from your parents for reasons that cannot be avoided and nobody is looking after you in their place.

How much will I get?

Only use the amounts shown as a guide. The rules for benefits mean that your individual circumstances may affect the amount you can get. This means you will not always be able to work out exactly how much you will get by using these amounts.

Personal allowances, premiums and payments to cover certain housing costs together make up your benefit payment.

Weekly amounts:

How do I claim?

Claim straight away. If you delay you may lose benefit.

To claim Income Support phone your Jobcentre Plus office, Jobcentre or social security office. You can get details of the areas covered by Jobcentre Plus offices and the local claim numbers from your local office, find your nearest office here or look in the phone book under Jobcentre Plus.

It is important that we can be sure of your identity when you make a claim. We may need to ask you about your background and look at any official documents you have to support the information you give.

You can download Income Support claim form

You can download an Income Support claim form in PDF format. This form does not apply in Northern Ireland.
You must contact your social security office to establish the date of claim. Your claim could be affected if you do not do so.

You can download documents marked with a using Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free of charge.

• We recommend that you save this file to your computer hard disk or a floppy disk before completing it.
• To save a copy of the file to disk right click with your mouse on the link above and choose the 'Save Target As' option.
• You can not save the form once you have opened it in an internet browser.

If you want to print out a form to fill in with a pen

A1 notes and claim form (367k)

B16 self-employed, a subcontractor, or a company director (92k)

The form comes with notes that will help you fill in the form and tell you where to send the completed form.

If you are having technical difficulties:

• downloading the form or
• printing a hard copy

Please contact the eService Helpdesk.

I am already getting it. What happens if:

I go into hospital or someone I claim for goes into hospital?
You must tell your Jobcentre Plus office or social security office as soon as you go into or come out of hospital. You must also tell them if someone you get benefit for goes into or comes out of hospital.

As soon as you go into hospital
Nothing will usually happen to your Income Support straight away.

After 4 weeks.
If you get a Severe Disability Premium, your Income Support will usually be reduced if you or your partner are in hospital.
We use partner to mean a person you are married to or a person you are living with as if you are married to them.

After 12 weeks.
If any children you claim for are in hospital, your Income Support will usually be reduced.

After 52 weeks in hospital.
Your benefit will be reduced after you have been in hospital for 52 weeks.

If someone living with you who is not dependent on you goes into hospital
If you get help with your housing costs in your Income Support and someone who shares your accommodation but is not dependent on you has been in hospital for more than 52 weeks, we will stop making a deduction from your housing costs in respect of their contribution to your household finances.

I go to live abroad or visit?
Let us know as soon as you can that you are going abroad. You can usually do this by contacting your Jobcentre Plus office, Jobcentre or social security office. If you are going abroad permanently you cannot get Income Support. If your stay abroad is temporary, you may be able to get Income Support for the first 4 weeks you are abroad. You can only do this if you are unlikely to be abroad for more than 52 weeks, would still qualify for Income Support if you had stayed in the United Kingdom, and one of the following applies to you:

• you are incapable of work because of sickness or disability and you have gone abroad only for treatment for that sickness or disability
• you have been incapable of work for 364 days when you go abroad, you get a pensioner premium or disability premium for a partner who is going abroad with you.

You may be able to get Income Support for the first 8 weeks if:

• you, or you and a member of your family, are going abroad only to help a dependant who is going abroad for medical treatment from a qualified person, and
• you are unlikely to be abroad for more than 52 weeks, and you would still qualify for Income Support if you had stayed in Great Britain.

National Health Treatment Abroad

Most benefits are affected if you are going abroad. You can get more information about certain countries through this site.

If I start work but my sickness or disability means I have to stop again?
Under the New Deal for disabled people, if you start work but have to stop within 52 weeks because of your sickness or disability, you may be able to go back onto Income Support at the same amount you got before you started working.

To be able to do this:

• you must have been sick for at least 28 weeks and
• you must have started work or training within 7 days of getting Income Support and
• your other circumstances must still be the same.

  You must let your Jobcentre Plus office, Jobcentre or social security office know you have started work or training within one month of the date you start. You cannot get protection if your benefit stopped because of a medical test.

  I start "Permitted Work"

  If you are on Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance, National Insurance Credits or Income Support because of illness or disability 'Permitted Work' is the work you might be able to do without affecting your payments. You can get more information here

  You can also read the procedural information for disability organizations.

  You can download documents marked with a using Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free of  charge.

   Permitted work procedural information for disability organizations.
  
  

  I start voluntary work?

  You can do as much voluntary work as you like. Your Income Support will not be affected as long as you do not receive any pay other than to pay for expenses like fares or special clothing you need for the voluntary work.

  Your Income Support will not be affected if it is reasonable for the person or organisation you are doing the voluntary work for not to pay you.

  If it is unreasonable not to pay you, we will reduce your Income Support by an amount you could expect to be paid for the work you are doing, even though you are not being paid. You must tell your Jobcentre Plus office, Jobcentre or social security office if you do any voluntary work. You must also tell us if you are paid in any way. This includes things that are sometimes called payment in kind. This could be something like meal vouchers.

  I go into a care home?

  If you move into a care home, it is important to tell your local Jobcentre Plus office, Jobcentre, social security office. You might find that your Income Support is affected, but also that you are entitled to other support or that your local Social Services or Social Work Department in Scotland can help pay the fees. To find out more, contact your social services through your local council - you can find contact details in the phonebook or at www.direct.gov.uk/QuickFind/LocalCouncils

  More information

  To get more information or leaflets, get in touch with your Jobcentre Plus office or social security office.

  For information on the Pension Credit visit http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/

  Apply for your Pensions Forecast on-line

  Other help

  Child Support Maintenance
  Christmas Bonus
  Guardian's Allowance
  Home Responsibilities Protection
  Widowed Mother's Allowance

  Definitions

  Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales.

  Remember that this website is only a general guide to benefits and schemes and is not a full and authoritative statement of the law. We have made every effort to ensure that the information on this website is correct at the date shown at the top of this page. However, changes in the law may make the website become gradually less accurate.