Income Support and WTC

vix2000

Can income support be claimed when on working tax credit? I ask this as on all the income support info pages it says WTC is deducted for income purposes. The claimant recieves DLA, by the way.

GlasweJen

I don't think so, if WTC is claimed then the claimant works 16 hours or more per week then you get the tax credit on top which is worth a couple hundred; more than IS is worth anyway i would imagine.

vix2000

but theres some sort of rule that says if your disability reduces your earning potential by more than 25% you can claim IS. This is the bit I don't really understand and would be grateful if someone could explain it. Thanks.

GlasweJen

I've never heard of that rule so can't help there. Income support is supposed to support people on low incomes and you can hardly call earnings + tax credits low income.

vix2000

Not always the case, I'm afraid.

vix2000

just found the relevant rule:-

[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]1.3 Must not be in full-time employment [/FONT]

[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]A person will not be entitled to Income Support if s/he is working sixteen hours or more per week or her/his partner (if s/he has one) is working 24 hours or more per week. [/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]Exceptions to this rule include: [/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]childminders working in their own home, [/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]people with a disability whose earning capacity is reduced by 25% or more compared to able-bodied persons, [/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]people engaged in special occupations (eg a part-time member of the fire brigade, an auxiliary coastguard, person engaged in launching or manning a lifeboat) and voluntary work and [/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]people who are temporarily absent from work in certain circumstances (eg sickness, maternity or paternity or adoption leave).[/FONT]

GlasweJen

yes but now how do you define a 25% less earning capacity? I mean i couldn't earn anything in certain sectors but am unaffected in others. I think this would apply to an amputee or a blind person or something???

GILMOREGIRLS

Dla Is A Non Means Tested Benefit, The Income Support Will Look At It But Are Not Allowed To Count It For Deduction Neither Is The Council Tax No One Can Touch It Its All Yours Any Extra Is A Bonus

strong96

no you get working tax credit with a disability working allowance ontop of that.

GlasweJen

yes that's what i thought, i get WTC and WTC disablility element and it is a tidy sum, much more than IS and I only work the minimum 16 hours a week.

vix2000

Is that counting working expenses, loss of housing benefit and council tax benefit and other things you can claim on IS but not WTC?