Maximise your Income - Benefits
You should make sure you are getting your correct benefits. Contact your local Benefits Agency office for help. Alternatively you can get a copy of the complete benefits guide from HMSO at a cost of £5.99.
Below is a summary of the main benefits you may qualify for:
Income Support:
You can get Income Support if you are not required to be available for work, a lone parent, a carer, a pensioner, claiming as sick, or in a category that exempts you from attending the Jobcentre as unemployed and you have less money coming in that the law says you need to live on.
Jobseekers Allowance:
To claim this allowance you should be working less than 16 hours per week and signing on for work.
Working Families Tax Credit:
From October 1999 the Working Families Tax Credit will replace Family Credit. This benefit is to help working people who have one child or more, you can claim if you or your partner are employed or self-employed for more than 16 hours a week.
In addition to the above you can also get help with Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit, Health Benefits. Speak to your local Benefits Agency office.
Other help for people with children includes free vitamins and free milk tokens for children up to 5 years old. Ask the education office of your local council about free school meals, free milk, fares to school, help with school clothing and childcare charges.
There are also benefits for people with disabilities which include incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, invalid care allowance, disability working allowance, attendance allowance and disability living allowance. Some people may be entitled to help with things like bus and train fares, home helps, day centres and social clubs, meals on wheels and laundry. For further information contact your local Benefits Agency.
Help for prison visits:
You may be able to get help with the costs of traveling to visit a close relative in prison. If you have already paid for the visit, you may be able to get the money back if you claim within 4 weeks of the visit. You will not get a refund if you claim after this. To find out more about claiming, write to:
Assisted Prison Visit Unit PO Box 2152 Birmingham B15 1SD Tel: 0121 626 2797 (only if your request is urgent)Other Income:
If you have non-dependants living in your home, make sure they are paying towards the household expenses.
Ensure you are receiving maintenance for children from a former relationship. The Child Support Agency deal with this.
If you have been made redundant or are off work due to an illness, check if your mortgage or any loans are covered by payment protection insurance.
There may be work which you can do without affecting your benefits, such as child minding or fostering.
You may be able to get help from the Social Fund for exceptional expenses that you cannot meet from your normal budget. If you need help in an emergency or because of a disaster, you may be able to get a crisis loan from the Social Fund. Get in touch with your local Benefits Agency to find out more about this.
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme Grants (HEES)
If you are receiving Income Support, Family Credit, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, or some other disablement benefits; or you are over 60 and receiving benefits you may be able to apply for grants which include insulation, draft proofing and energy advice. For more information contact the Energy Action Grants Agency on 0800 0720150.
Appealing if you think you are entitled to more:
If you consider a decision about your claim is unfair: The decision on your claim is made by an Adjudication Officer. Adjudication Officers are people who decide whether the law says that you are entitled to benefit or not. They also decide how much benefit the law says you are entitled to. You have the right to appeal, go to your local Benefits Agency of Jobcentre, and ask for leaflet NI246 (how to appeal).