Income Support for low income

jaimito

hi guys,

i have had a look around the forum and also read the leaflets regarding claiming income support but i can't find the answer to my question. any help would be greatly appreciated!

ok, on the DWP website it states that you can get income support when:

This could be if you are:
• sick or disabled
• a lone parent
• a carer, or
• registered blind.

Can I get Income Support
It is for people who:
• are 16 to 59 years old
• have a low income
• work less than 16 hours a week
• are not in full-time study (although the
are some exceptions – see page 6)
• do not get Jobseeker’s Allowance
• do not have savings above £16,000,
• live in Great Britain.

i understand all of this but each section seems to be independent of the other. in my circumstances i am not sick or disabled, a lone parent, a carer, or registered blind. but i do meet the requirements of the second section [16-59, low income etc.]. does anyone know if i would still be entitled to income support?

thanks guys!

jaimito

zappster1966

You need a "condition of entitlement" to qualify for Income Support. And that's being a carer, lone parent etc etc.

So if you don't fit into one of those categories you won't qualify.

What are your family circumstances ? Single, couple etc etc (what does your partner do) ? Any children ? Are you fit to work ? Or sick ? Any money coming into the household ?

Loopy_Girl

How many hours do you work and how old are you?

ceecee1

zapps you beat me to it by a millisecond !

You have to have what is called a 'condition of entitlement' which is essentially one of the circumstances in your first paragraph, ie sick, lone parent, carer

jaimito

hi,

thanks for the quick reply guys!

i am 32 and do 5 hours per week part time bringing in £40. i am struggling to find a job at the moment as is to be expected! [i work in construction].

i am single and live alone. i would prefer to claim income support just to bolster my income which i understand isnt that great. i guess i could apply for JSA but i would rather work my hours and get a top up with the income support.

any help is appreciated!

jaimito

zappster1966

You're fit for work. You won't get Income Support.

You need to claim Jobseeker's Allowance instead. You can claim via freephone on 0800 0 55 66 88. They'll take your details, fill the form out for you & book you in for an interview at your nearest Job Centre.

You can still claim Jobseeker's Allowance even if you're working part time. They'll ignore the first five pounds of your earnings, the rest is deducted pound for pound off your benefit.

JSA is currently £64.30. So if they dock £35 off your benefit that'll still leave you with £29.30 JSA each week on top of your wages.

Plus you'll get help with rent, council tax, other housing costs, prescriptions, dentists etc etc.

Go for it.

hayley11

How on earth are you paying your rent, bills, food etc on £40 a week??

As the others have said, you won't qualify for income support. It's not like a "top up" benefit, it's for people who cannot work at all or who cannot work full time because of the reasons you listed (lone parent, sick etc)

You may possibly qualify for housing benefit and council tax benefit. You could try entitledto.co.uk - that should give you a rough idea of what you can claim.

The thing with JSA is they help you look for a job as well as giving you money, so although i'd never suggest somebody leave a job to claim JSA, if I was in your situation, I would contact the job centre and see what they can do.