Income Support
Income Support is a means-tested benefit paid to certain groups of people who do not have enough money to live on.
Income Support is a non-contributory benefit. This means that it does not depend on national insurance contributions you have paid. If you get Income Support you can automatically get maximum Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and other help, for example, with health costs and free school meals. If you have a mortgage, you can get some help towards your interest payments (usually after 13 weeks).
If you are over state pension age, you will not be able to claim Income Support but can claim Pension Credit instead .
To get Income Support, you must either not be working at all or work less than 16 hours a week. If you have a partner who lives with you, they must work under 24 hours a week. You can qualify for Income Support if you are bringing up a child (aged under 7) on your own, or receiving Carer’s Allowance. There are other categories of people who do not have to be available for work and may be able to claim Income Support if their income is very low. You can contact our advice service to find out whether you might be able to claim.
To claim Income Support phone 0800 055 6688 or claim online at: www.direct.gov.uk.
Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
JSA is a benefit for people who are unemployed but judged to be capable of work. To get JSA you must show that you are looking for work.
JSA is a benefit in two parts. If you have paid enough national insurance contributions in the past, you could qualify for contribution-based JSA. This is paid at a flat rate for the first six months you are unemployed. Income-based JSA can be paid to top up any contribution -based JSA or on its own. It is means-tested and the amount you get will depend on your financial circumstances. If you have a mortgage, you can get some help towards your interest payments (usually after 13 weeks).
To claim JSA, you must be unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week. If you are living with a partner and claiming income-based JSA, your partner must either not be working or working less than 24 hours a week. If you or your partner is working 16 hours or more, you may be able to get Working Tax Credit instead (see below).
You can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance online at: www.direct.gov.uk. You can claim on the phone by calling Jobcentre Plus: 0800 055 6688.
Working Tax Credit
If you (or your partner if you have one) work 16 hours or more a week, you may be entitled to Working Tax Credit. This will depend on your circumstances and how much money you have coming in. Self-employed people as well as people who are employees can apply. Working Tax Credit can include extra amounts for disabled workers and people who work more than 30 hours a week. It can also help towards childcare costs, for example for a registered childminder, after school club or nursery.
There is an online questionnaire you can use to find out if you might qualify for Working Tax Credit. Go to HM Revenue and Custom’s website at: www.hmrc.gov.uk.
To apply for Working Tax Credit, contact the tax credit helpline for an application pack. The helpline number is 0845 300 3900.
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
These benefits are to help people on a low income pay their rent and council tax. You may be able to get Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit even if you are working but on a low income. The amount of help you get depends on how much money you have coming in and your family circumstances.
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will be worked out differently once you’ve reached the age at which you qualify for pension credit (guarantee credit) so you may become entitled to these benefits when you weren’t before (see below).
If you have a private landlord, then your Housing Benefit will be based on the Local Housing Allowance.The Local Housing Allowance is based on rent prices for the area you live in and limits the maximum amount of help you can get. The amount you get also depends on the number of rooms the Housing Benefit rules say are needed for your household. This may not be the same number of rooms you are actually living in.
If the amount of Housing Benefit you are entitled to doesn’t cover all your rent, you may have to make up the difference out of any other income you have, or find cheaper accommodation. You may be able to get some additional money from the local authority.
If you’re thinking of moving into private rented accommodation, you can ask the local authority’s Housing Benefit office to tell you which Local Housing Allowance Figure will be used to calculate your Housing Benefit or you can look on the LHA-Direct website at lha-direct.voa.gov.uk.
There are important changes to Local Housing Allowance from April 2011. You can get more information on these changes at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_192415 or contact our advice service.
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are local authority benefits which means you need to contact your local council for a claim form.
Useful factsheet
