The benefits that you are entitled to will depend upon your individual circumstances. Listed below are some of the main benefits you may be able to get:
Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Carers Allowance
You can get Carer’s Allowance if you are aged 16 or over and:
look after someone who gets Attendance Allowance, or the middle/higher care component rate of Disability Living Allowance;
look after that person for at least 35 hours a week;
are not in full-time education;
earn less than £100 a week (after deductions); and
satisfy UK presence and residence conditions.
You will not be entitled to Carers Allowance, if you receive certain other benefits where the two benefits cannot be paid together and only the highest is paid.
Carers Allowance will give you a National Insurance Credit. In some cases it can also increase the amount of other means tested benefits that you get.
Please be advised that if you receive Carers Allowance, this may affect some benefits of the person you care for.
If you are unsure or need advice, please call us on our public helpline 020 8583 5016 before making your claim.
Income Support
You can claim Income Support if you are a carer and:
are under the Pension Credit Qualifying age;
receive Carers Allowance;
or are look after someone who receives Attendance Allowance or the middle or higher care component rate of Disability Living Allowance.
If you are waiting for this claim to be decided you can still claim Income Support.
You will not be entitled to Income Support if you work 16 hours or more a week and:
or your partner works 24 hours or more a week; or
you have savings over £16,000.
The benefit is means tested and will be affected by most income that you or your partner have coming in.
Income Support can help with mortgage payments.
For more information on Income Support, visit the Directgov website available on this page under external links.
Pension Credit
In the past you could claim for Pension Credit at the age of 60 but this age is slowly increasing, in line with the age women can claim their State Pension. Pension Credit is a means tested benefit.
Pension Credit has two parts:
guarantee credit, guarantees older people with a minimum level of income; and
savings credit, rewards those over 65 for having savings, an extra pension or a higher state pension.
Both are means tested and are affected by most income that you have coming in. There is no maximum level on the amount of savings you can have. Savings up to £10,000 are ignored and do not reduce the benefit that you can get. Savings over this affect the amount of Pension Credit that you can get.
The amount of Pension Credit you can get is higher for certain people such as carers or severely disabled people. Pension Credit can also help with mortgages.
Carers who have an entitlement to Carers Allowance even if it is not actually paid to them (for example due to the amount of their retirement pension) get a higher rate of Pension Credit.
For more information on Pension Credit, visit the Directgov website available on this page under external links.'
Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit are payments which can help you pay your rent and Council Tax if you are on a low income.
You may be entitled to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit if you are:
responsible for rent and/or Council Tax; and
on a low income with savings of less than £16,000.
These are both means tested benefits and are claimed from the Local Authority.
Housing and Council Tax Benefit will not cover your mortgage but you may be able to get help with this if you are on Pension Credit, Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers Allowance or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance.
If you have savings over £16,000 and are under the qualifying age for Pension Credit, you will not be able to claim either of these benefits. There are special rules if you are over the Pension Credit qualifying age.
Some people may be entitled to a discount on Council Tax for reasons such as severe mental impairment or having adaptions to their home to help with a disability. To find out more about Council Tax discounts, please visit our ‘Council Tax discounts’ page under related pages.
There is also another type of Council Tax benefit called Second Adult Rebate.
You may get Second Adult Rebate if the person you share your home with is:
not your partner or civil partner;
aged 18 or over;
not paying you rent;
not paying Council Tax themselves;
on a low income;
You may be able to get Second Adult Rebate even if you don't receive Council Tax Benefit. If you're either:
not entitled to Council Tax Benefit
only entitled to benefit which would cover 25 per cent or less of your Council Tax
For more information on Housing and Council Tax Benefits, visit the Directgov website available on this page under external links.
Tax Credits
Tax credits are payments from the government. If you're responsible for at least one child or young person, you may qualify for Child Tax Credit. If you work, but are on a low income, you may qualify for Working Tax Credit. You can often get both types of tax credits.
You may be entitled to Working Tax Credit, if you work at least 16 hours a week and you are:
aged 16 or over and responsible for at least one child, or
aged 16 or over and disabled, or
aged 25 or over and usually work at least 30 hours a week
Please note: there are special rules if you are aged 50 or over and work at least 16 hours a week.
From April 2011, people aged 60 and over who work 16 hours a week will qualify for Working Tax Credit.
Child tax credit can be claimed if you have at least one dependant child.
Tax credits are means tested and are paid by HM Revenues and Customs. However, the means test is more generous for Child Tax Credit than for some other benefits. This means you can still receive the basic amount even if you are on quite a high level of income.
For more information on Tax Credits, visit the HM Revenues and Customs website available on this page under external links.
Health Benefits
Most National Health Service (NHS) treatment is free but there can be charges for some things. You may be able to get help with NHS health costs if for example you're on a low income.
You may be entitled to Health Benefits if you:
are on a low income;
do not have savings over £16,000; and
need help with prescription costs, dental or optician fees, travelling to hospital or for surgical aids.
You may also qualify for other reasons such as your age, certain named health conditions, pregnancy or if you are responsible for a child under 12 months of age.
The benefits and tax credits that you may be entitled to, will depend upon your circumstances.
If you are not sure about anything you should always seek advice. You can call us on our public helpline number 020 8583 5016.