IS20 - A guide to Income Support

Who can get Income Support?

People in education

If you are under 20 and at school or college

Non-advanced education
If you are under 16 you cannot get Income Support. If you are a young person aged 16 to 19 in full-time non-advanced education you cannot normally get benefit. Non-advanced education means attendance at a school, college or similar establishment for education up to and including GCE A levels, Scottish Certificate of Education (Higher level) or equivalent. [Legislation (9)]

If these rules mean you cannot claim Income Support yourself, you are treated as a dependant of your parents or whoever is acting as your parents until you reach 20. See Claiming for children and young people. If they were receiving Income Support prior to October 2004 and have been continuously in receipt of Income Support since this date, you will be included in their assessment. From October 2004, CTC replaced the child-related elements of Income Support and your needs will be included in this assessment.

Some exceptions
But if you are aged 16 to 19 you may be able to get Income Support during full-time non-advanced education if: [Legislation (10)]

• you are the parent of a child who lives with you
• or you are an orphan and are not being looked after by someone acting as your parent
• or you have a severe mental or physical disability which means that you would be unlikely to find work within 12 months if you left school
• or you are of necessity living away from your parents or any person acting in place of a parent because you are estranged from them, or in physical or moral danger, or there are serious risks to your physical or mental health
• or you are living apart from your parents or from people acting as your parents and they are in prison, or chronically sick or mentally or physically disabled, or prohibited from entering or re-entering Great Britain
• or you have just left care and have to live independently. Certain care leavers will not qualify for Income Support. For more information, please see paragraph headed ‘Care leavers aged 16 and 17’.

If you reach your 20th birthday in the middle of your course of fulltime education, you will then be treated as a student until the end of your course, and will not generally be able to get Income Support.

Advanced education
If you are under 19 and in full-time advanced education you will be treated as a student. Advanced education means a course of a standard above GCE A level, Scottish Certificate of Education (Higher level) or equivalent. [Legislation (11)]

If you are a school leaver

Unless you are in one of the special groups listed previously, you cannot normally get Income Support immediately after you leave education. When your course of education or approved training ceases, Child Benefit will continue to be paid until the next terminal date after the end of your course (end of February, end of May, end of August or end of November) unless you attain age 20 beforehand.

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