Winning Prizes & Cash from Comping whilst on benefits

[Deleted User]

Hi, not sure if this has been asked before but, what happens when you are claiming benefits and for example you won
cash from comping, or you won a prize and sold it. Do you have to declare, would they find out?
Thankyou

One-Eye

In general terms winning non-cash prizes does not affect benefits. If you are given the choice of a cash alternative, beware of the following.
 
For cash prizes or selling prizes for cash - if the prize takes your capital above £6,000 then the following benefits will start to be reduced, and if your capital is above £16,000 then they can be stopped. Spending the money quickly makes no difference, and not letting authorities know about a large cash prize is technically fraud.

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Tax Credits (Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit)
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Support
• Social Fund (Sure Start Maternity Grant, Funeral Payment, Cold Weather Payments)
• Universal Credit
• Jobseekers’ Allowance

Some prizes offer a lump sum or an income eg. £5,000 or £500/month for a year. For benefits (and tax) purposes, regular payments are treated as income as if you earned it, and you would nearly always be better off taking the lump sum.

[Deleted User]

Thanks One Eye would be great to win some cash, I have just started comping again, won some travel guides and some Apple air pods.Thankyou for all the comps you post.