Students claiming back NHS charges

yertiz_2

My son, a student, has a part time job and does not pay tax. He has saved a substantial sum in an ISA over many years. I would be grateful if anyone could advise if these savings are taken into consideration when applying to claim for NHS prescriptions and dental charges? Thanks.

MrsManda

How old is your son?
If he's 18 or under then he should get free NHS dental and prescriptions.

Many students at university don't qualify for free care as their student loans, grants, bursaries and any earned income get taken into account. I don't believe savings are but he'll find out when he gets a HC1 form as that will ask for details of all the information required to apply under the low income scheme.

archersluck

I recieved £250 a month from my parents and that meant I was over the threshold.
They take your rent off as a necessary expense, so if you get £3500 student loan and your rent is £3200 then they'd keep the £300 as income, plus any job money, parent contributions etc.
It's worth a try but I'm not sure what the saving limit is. Can't he use his savings to pay?

yertiz_2

Thanks for your comments which are very helpful. I think he is reluctant to use his savings as it's an ISA. He has student loans so he could use these to pay but they are already stretched for rent and food etc.
I just wondered if he would be considered as on a 'low' income. He is 19.

bouncydog1

If he needs a lot of prescriptions I think you can buy something to cover the cost that works out cheaper. Often mentioned on the debt free board.

As for dental charges, surely he should only need a check up and a scale and polish once a year which shouldn't be too much on a monthly basis if he budgets the cost in.

As you say he has a substantial sum saved, then surely these charges shouldn't make too much of an impact. Alternatively could you help him out with just these costs?

New_York_No1_fan

yertiz wrote: »

My son, a student, has a part time job and does not pay tax. He has saved a substantial sum in an ISA over many years. I would be grateful if anyone could advise if these savings are taken into consideration when applying to claim for NHS prescriptions and dental charges? Thanks.

My 19yr old student son receives the low income free prescription/dental thingy.
He has an ISA with about £5000, approx £1000 savings, a student loan and grant. He pays for uni accommodation.

I know that your income should not exceed £16,000 but I think it starts getting offset against your money the more you have.

Think DD got a proportion of money towards NHS charges whereas son gets 100% free.
Hope this helps. If in doubt give it a try, there's nothing to lose.

atypical

The capital limit is £16,000 i.e. you cannot apply for help with health costs if you have more than £16,000 in savings or investments. I think you can assume this includes capital held within ISAs as it's not stated otherwise:
http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/HealthCosts/1136.aspx

The personal allowance for someone aged under 25 is £51.85 a week. This is the amount it's believed someone of that age requires to live on. This and rental expense are taken from a person's income giving a net 'disposable' income. The amount of this income will determine how much help a person receives as detailed on the website above.

bouncyd!!! wrote: »

If he needs a lot of prescriptions I think you can buy something to cover the cost that works out cheaper. Often mentioned on the debt free board.

You can buy prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs):
"If you will have to pay for four or more prescription items in three months, or more than 14 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a PPC. The charge for a single prescription item is £7.40, whereas a three month PPC will cost you £29.10 and a 12 month PPC £104.00."