Income Support for a Couple aged 17

Lozz

Hi all,


Have done my research but am confused, can anyone tell me what the income support amount would be for a couple living together both aged 17 years would be.


Have looked at the gov.co.uk website and it seems to suggest the couple rate is the same as the single rate, although I'm not sure if that's per person or for the couple as a whole, it states £57.35 for a person under the age of 18 and the same again for a couple aged under 18. Very confusing!


Many thanks.


Lozz x

Voyager2002

At that age their parents should be supporting them.

seven-day-weekend

The table below suggests £57.35 for a couple unless there are disabilities involved or they have a child.

https://www.gov.uk/income-support/what-youll-get

It would perhaps be better if they got jobs before living together.

Lozz

Voyager2002 wrote: »

At that age their parents should be supporting them.

Completely agree and up until a few weeks ago that was exactly what we were doing (for both of them as my daughter's partner wasn't supporting her), unfortunately they investigated the benefits culture and that was that! The grass is greener and all that.

Lozz

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

The table below suggests £57.35 for a couple unless there are disabilities involved or they have a child.

https://www.gov.uk/income-support/what-youll-get

It would perhaps be better if they got jobs before living together.

Thank you for that, no disabilities or children involved. It would have been best if they had stayed at home where they were living together already, they're both at college so jobs are not an option. I was asking as social services say we have to support our daughter until her income support comes through to the same level as income support, which we intend to do to the penny as they chose to leave a comfortable home/lifestyle to live as they are.


Many thanks for your replies.


Lozz x

seven-day-weekend

I suggest you keep a room available for them at your home once they realise it is not as easy as they think.

Do they have the deposit available for a private rental? Also many landlords would not touch them with a bargepole (their age as well as the Benefits).

They may well have trouble finding a place.

thorsoak

Is there any reason why neither of them can get a job? Plenty of part-time jobs around at this time of year!

If they want to play at being grown-ups, then they should act like grown-ups.

Caz3121

boy are they in for a shock. I assume that £57 per week sounds like loads to them but I assume they have never had to pay gas, electric, food bills etc...£4 a day each to cover all that!
Agree that jobs are the way to go...college is fine but there are evenings and weekends where they could work without affecting their studies. (stacking shelves in supermarkets etc, this is also the time for xmas staff being taken on)

epitome

The couple rate is the same as the single rate £57.35

However as they are both at college they might get the higher rate £86.65

Being at college does not mean they can't work.

If they have chosen to leave your household I don't see why you have to support them until the IS comes through. What social services probably mean is that "We won't support them, so if *you* want them to have money *you* will have to give it to them yourself" Social Services is probably lying to get you to pay for them, I would imagine if you cut off all funds to them and they turned up at social services asking for help then Social Services would help them.

Also your funding them until IS comes through does not make sense because IS is only payable to youngsters if they are estranged from their parents. If I was processing an IS claim where they were being supported by one of their parents, I would try my hardest to disallow the claim. Also, whilst they wait for IS to come through they should be applying for a Short Term Benefit Advance, make them see the world of benefits from a realistic vantage point from the start, don't mollycoddle them.

Sncjw

They are going to get a sharp shock. Juggling housing expenses and doing college work to keep on the level of their course. Yes uni students do it all the time but I'm sure they get more than 50 quid a week for everything . They probably think ooh money I can do what I like with it but they will realise they will get less to spend than they used to.

Keep the door open for your daughter. Hope fully they will realise the struggle sooner rather than later

HappyMJ

It's unlikely that they'll get anything at all if you are giving them money they won't get any income support. They as already said need to be estranged from their parents with no support at all.