Benefits, tax credits and other financial help

Each benefit and tax credit has its own set of eligibility criteria. This means you need to meet certain conditions in order to qualify.

It is important you remember that:

Benefits are your right

• You need to be proactive; the onus is on you to claim. Nothing will happen automatically
• If in doubt - claim. The sooner you claim the better. If your claim is late, it is difficult to get backdated payments. Sometimes the amount of money won’t seem worth it but receipt of some benefits entitles you to others, so it may be worth more than you think.

There is plenty of advice available

• You should tell it like it is - don’t underestimate your difficulties. Don’t assume the benefits officer knows anything about your position; tell them about the bad days.
• You shouldn’t take no for an answer. If you are not satisfied about a decision, get advice about appealing.
• For a handy guide to benefits, go to the free resources section of the Benefits and Work website at www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/benefits.htm
• Assistance with benefits can be obtained from your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

Claim immediately

Once you know which benefit or tax credit to claim, complete and send the claim form to the appropriate office immediately. It is difficult to get awards backdated and for some benefits (e.g. DLA) a payment cannot cover a period before the date you made the claim, no matter what the circumstances.

Disability Living Allowance

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is the main benefit for disabled children. Find out more in our detailed guide to Disability Living Allowance

Carer’s Allowance (CA)

If your child receives the middle or highest rate of DLA care component, you may also be entitled to receive CA as their carer. To qualify you need to be:

• caring for the child at least 35 hours a week
• if working, not earning more than £82 pw (after subtracting certain childcare costs and other expenses)
• over 16 years of age
• not in full-time education (21 hours or more a week)

If you don’t qualify but someone else helps care for your child, they may be able to claim instead, e.g. you may have a relative who helps while you are at work.

Claim using form DS700 available from your local Benefit Office or the Benefits Enquiry Line.

Benefits for families on a low income

Income support (IS)

Income support is a means-tested benefit paid to certain groups of people on a low income and with savings below £8,000. To qualify, you must be someone who is not required to be available for work, e.g. a carer or a lone parent. Usually, you must be working less than 16 hours per week, and if you have a partner, s/he must be working less than 24 hours per week. However, some carers can claim income support regardless of the hours they work.

Income support is a non-contributory benefit. This means that a person does not have to have paid any national insurance contributions in order to qualify. The rates of income support are fixed each year by government in the form of Personal Allowances and Premiums and are usually increased every April.

Personal Allowances are weekly payments towards every day living expenses for you and your partner if you have one and for any dependent children.

Premiums are weekly amounts for some people who have extra needs, including:

• If you are getting CA or have an ‘underlying entitlement’ you qualify for the Carer Premium
• If you have a child who is getting DLA at any rate you will qualify for Disabled Child’s Premium
• If your child is getting the highest rate of the care component of DLA, you qualify for an Enhanced Disability Premium

If you qualify for IS, the amount you get is worked out by adding up the Personal Allowances and any Premiums you qualify for. Also, an amount towards mortgage interest payments will be included if you have a mortgage. The total figure is called the ‘applicable amount’. If you have no other income you would receive this amount in IS. If you do have other income from part-time earnings and other social security benefits, this amount is deducted and you get the difference. Some income is ignored, e.g. DLA payments and small amounts of earnings. Also, it is assumed you will have some income from any savings you have above £3,000.

Income support acts as a ‘passport’ to certain other help. A claimant (and her/his partner) will automatically qualify for the following:

• free school meals
• free prescriptions
• free dental care
• vouchers for spectacles
• free milk and vitamins for expectant mothers and children under 5; free vitamins for nursing mothers
• maximum housing benefit
• maximum council tax benefit.

Contact: The Pension Service
Tel: 0800 169 0133 (Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm & Sat 9am-1pm)
0800 100 6165 (Northern Ireland)
www.dwp.co.uk

Housing Benefit

Housing benefit helps people pay their rent. It cannot be paid to owner-occupiers to help pay a mortgage. Owner-occupiers may be able to get help with their mortgage interest from Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Pension Credit. Housing Benefit does not pay for Council Tax but you can get Council Tax Benefit to help pay Council Tax.

Housing benefit is paid by a local authority in England, Wales and Scotland and by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in Northern Ireland.

Council Tax Benefit (CTB)

Council Tax Benefit helps pay towards or covers your council tax bill, whether you rent or own your home, or live rent-free.

Who is Council Tax Benefit for?

CTB is designed to help people who do not have enough money to pay their council tax bill. Certain families with disabled children are entitled to council tax reductions, but often do not claim them. To qualify for a disability reduction on bills, households must include a disabled child or adult who uses a wheelchair indoors, needs a second bathroom, toilet or kitchen or who uses another room in the house that has been modified in order to accommodate the disability. These families, or individuals, can reduce their Council Tax bills regardless of their income or savings. For further information or to find out if you are eligible for a discount, contact the Council Tax section of your local council.

How is it worked out?

The council will look at the money you, or you and your partner have coming in as well as your savings. The council will also look at your other circumstances such as your age and whether anyone else lives with you. With this information the council will work out if you qualify for Council Tax Benefit. If you can get Council Tax Benefit, this will not affect the amount of money you receive in other benefits.

The rules for HB and CTB are similar to those for Income Support except that the savings limit is £16,000 rather than £8,000 and you can be working full-time and still get HB or CTB if your income is low enough.

As with Income Support, both benefits include a disability premium which will increase your income.

Your claim for Income Support, Pension Credit or income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance can include a claim for Council Tax Benefit. Otherwise, contact your Local Authority for a claim form.

Working Tax Credit (WTC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC)

Two means tested benefits offering additional support to families:

Working Tax Credit

A means-tested tax credit for working people on low incomes. To qualify for WTC you must have a child under 16, or under 19 and still in full-time education, and you (or your partner, if you have one) must work at least 16 hours a week.

Child Tax Credit

A tax credit which can be claimed by anyone with a dependant child. CTC is means-tested, but it is designed to benefit families on average as well as low incomes. You can apply whether you work or not and it is paid in addition to Child Benefit. You may receive increased CTC if you have a child with a disability, as an extra amount is added to your calculation for each child on DLA. If your child gets the highest rate of DLA care component a further amount is added. Unlike most other means-tested benefits there is no savings limit.

CTC & WTC can be claimed using form TC600 issued from Jobcentre Plus offices and Inland Revenue enquiry centres

Tel: 0845 300 3900 or Textphone 0845 300 3909
You can claim online at the Tax Credit website:
www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/Home.aspx

Direct Payments for children and young people

Direct payments are available for young disabled people aged 16-17. There are two information packs available produced by Scope:

In The Driving Seat: Direct Payments for your Child. A guide to Direct Payments for parents of disabled children. Includes information on what they are, how to get them and where to go for help.
My Money, My Way. A young person’s guide to Direct Payments; what they are, how you get them and how a personal assistant can help you to live independently.

To receive a copy of either information pack

Tel: 020 7619 7342
Email: publications@scope.org.uk or download a copy from:
www.scope.org.uk/issues/directpayments

The Disabled Students Allowance is a generous package. For further details contact the DfES on: 0870 000 2288 or visit the website: www.dfes.gov.uk to download the leaflets.

Other financial help which may be available

Help getting around

In some areas there are schemes that provide cheap transport for people with mobility problems. The names of the schemes and what they offer can vary. Details should be available from your local CAB, Volunteer Bureau, Disablement Association.

Fares to hospital

If you are on IS or income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance you can claim help with travel costs when escorting your child to and from hospital for NHS treatment. You can also claim if you are getting WTC (including a disability element) or CTC and your gross annual income is not more than a fixed threshold (£14,600 in April 2005). You can obtain a refund of your fares directly from the hospital if you produce proof that you are a benefit recipient.

If you are not getting these benefits but are on a low income, you may still be able to get help. Ask the hospital.

In some areas there are schemes that provide cheap transport for people with mobility problems. Details should be available from your local CAB.

Disabled Facilities Grants, renovation and minor works

Contact the local Housing Authority to check what help is available to make your home more suitable for your child. There are a number of different grants available (most are means-tested). The Disabled Facilities Grant, which helps meet the cost of property adaptations for a disabled person, may be the most relevant.

Family Fund

The Family Fund can give lump sums for specific items that arise from the care of a child under 16 with severe disabilities. Your social and economic circumstances will be taken into account. The Fund will consider any request so you can ask for whatever you need most, e.g. laundry equipment, transport expenses, clothing, holidays etc.

The Family Fund, PO Box 50, York YO1 9ZX
Tel: 0845 130 4542
Email: info@familyfund.org.uk

Other useful contacts

Contact a Family, 209-211 City Road, London, EC1V 1JN
Tel: 020 7608 8700
www.cafamily.org.uk
Contact a Family Helpline: 0808 808 3555 (Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm)
Carer’s Line: 0808 808 7777 (Wed & Thurs 10am-12pm & 2pm-4pm)
Contact a Family provides excellent advice and help via their Helpline and website.

Family Welfare Association, 501-505 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London E8 4AU
Tel: 020 7254 6251
www.fwa.org.uk
FWA administers a wide variety of Trust Funds. Applications must be made by a Social Worker on your behalf.

Directory of Social Change, 24 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2DP
Tel: 08450 77 77 07
This organisation publishes “A Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need”. This is a practical guide to sources of money available from over 2,500 trusts and charities. You may find a copy of this in your local library or Citizens’ Advice Bureau.

www.communitycare.co.uk
This website provides a comprehensive guide to benefits. To access this guide go to Reference where you will find the A-Z of Benefits.