A guide to benefits; please read before posting.

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Earnings disregards

You are only entitled to one disregard, the highest one is used if you qualify for more than one.

£93 - permitted work whilst claiming ESA, IB ir SDA.
for HB/LHA and CTB you mmust be recieving a component with your ESA.

£25 lone parents in regards to HB/LHA and CTB.
£20 lone parents [£50 in some pilot areas check with local JCP]

£20 if you or partner qualify for carer premium, disregarded from carer's earnings.

£20 if you or your partner qualify for a disability premium.

up to £20 if your partner gets ESA. For HB/LHA and CTB your partner must be recieving the component with their ESA.

£20 if you or your partner have reached the OC entitlement age and were disabled, working and entitled to the £20 disregard before reaching that age.

£20 if you or your partner are a part time firefighter or life boat crew memeber, auxlilary coastguard or a memer of the territorial or reserve force.

£10 if you have a partner and either of you work.

£5 if you are single and not in the above groups

£17.10 is an additional disregard for HB, LHA and CTB.
This can be awarded in addition to hte disregards form the above list.
This can be awarded if you or your partner are;
aged over 25 and working at least 30 hours
responsible for a child and working at least 16 hours
disabled at working at least 16 hours. For the purposes of couples it must be the disabled partner that must work at least 16 hours.
Recieve and qualify for the 50 plus element of WTC.

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Benefit disregards

DLA and AA are disregarded in full.

CB and CTC are disregarded for; IS, IBJSA, IBESA and PC. They are counted in full for claims made before April 2004 that still includes premiums for children.

CB is disregarded in full for HB, LHA and CTB.

£10 of Widowed Mother's or Widowed Parent's Allowance is disregarded for IS, IBJSA, IBESA and PC.

£15 of Widowed Mother's or Widowed Parent's Allowance is disregarded for LHA, HB and CTB.

£10 of War disablement pension, armed forces compensation or war widowed/widower's pension is disregarded. LAs can use their discretionary powers to disregard in full War pensions and armed forces compensation for the purposes of LHA., HB and CTB.

SSP, SMP, SPP, and statutory adoption pay are counted in full for the purposes of LHA, HB and CTB. This means that the earnings disregard will apply.

All means tested benefits apart from TCs are disregarded.

All other benefits are counted as income [different rules apply to PCs].

Most payments awarded to promote job seeking or moving onto full time work are usually disregarded.

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Job Grant

One off grant

How do I qualify

You must have been claiming IS, JSA, IB, ESA or SDA for at least 26 weeks if you start a job full time.

You must be starting work at least 16 hours and the work must be expected to last 5 weeks or more.

How much?

£100 for single people and couples without children

£250 for lone parents and couples with children.

More information

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Hippy-chicy

Extended payments [housing costs]

HB, LHAand CTB may be continued to be paid up to four weeks at the same amount if the new job or an increase in hours means you are no longer eligible for IS, IB, IBJSA, IBESA, and SDA.

You must have been claiming a qualifying benefit continiously for 26 weeks or more. The benefit must have ended due to you starting work or increasing your hours, and this must be expected to last for 5 weeks or more.

To apply for an Housing and Council Tax Benefit Extended payment you should contact your Local Authority.

If you were entitled to help with the interest on your mortgage then you will be entitled to payments for another 4 weeks; rules apply as above.

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Return to work credit


A tax free payment of £40 payable up to 52 weeks.

Paid by JCP when you start work after a period of at least 13 weeks of recieving benefits because;

You have a limited capabilty for work (ESA or SSP) or you were incapable of work (IB, IS and SDA).


To get the payment you must be;

working at least 16 hours per week.

Work must be expected to last at least 5 weeks

You must earn £15000 or less before deductions.

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Self employment credit

Tax free payment of £50 payable up to 16 weeks by JCP when you start work after a period of at least 13 weeks of recieving benefits because;
you are claiming JSA and are becoming self-employed.

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In work credit

Tax free

£40 per week [£60 for London] for up to 52 weeks by JCP.

You have to be a lone parent claiming IS or JSA for at least 52 weeks.

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Sure Start Maternity Grant

£500 for a new baby.

You can claim for a baby under one year that has been adopted, care under a residence order, been granted a residence order for or for a still born baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

To qualify you must be claiming;

IS, IBJSA, ISESA or PC.

CTC at more than family rate [£545] please note that the baby element [£545] is not included and if you recieve both the baby and the family element and no other element then you are not entitled to the sure start grant.

WTC which includes the disability element in the assessment.

Your GP or midwife needs to confirm you have had health and medical advice by signing the claim form.

You can claim from 11 weeks before the baby is due, up until the baby reaches 3 months. [Many first time parents will have to claim after the baby is born when they may get the entitlement to CTC]

You should get the claim form from your midwife.

[Deleted User]

might be of help :

http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/latest-news/1228-full-list-of-free-to-mobile-dwp-0800-numbers

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Bereavement payment

Tax free lump sum of £2000 for bereaved spouses or civil partners.

Dependent on NICS made by late spouse or civil partner [unles their death was caused by an industrial accident].

Counted as capital for means tested benefits, but is ignore for tax credit purposes.

If you were under the pensionable age at the time of death qualify.

If you were over the pension age then you are only entitled to it if your late spouse or civil partner were not entitled to a catergory A pension.

You are not entitled to this payment if you were co-habitating with someone else at the time of your spouse or civil partner's death.


How to claim

You have 12 months to claim the Bereavement payment.

Contact 0800 055 66 88 (JCP).

More information