Benefits
On this website you can find information about main available
benefits and how to apply for them. Wherever possible we have
included links to do that online and requirements you have to
fulfill. You will be redirected to external websites for more
information and to make a claim online.
Child Benefit
Disability Living Allowance
Attendance Allowance
Carer's Allowance
Income Support
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
Bereavement benefits (Bereavement
Allowance, Bereavement Payment, Widowed Parent's Allowance)
Funeral Payment
Community Care Grant
Winter Fuel Payment
You can get Child Benefit if you are responsible for a child or
qualifying young person. Child Benefit is tax free and does not
depend on your income or savings. You do not have to be the parent.
A dependent child is a child under the age of 16. A qualifying
young person is a young person under the age of 20 in full-time
non-advanced education.
How much?
Oldest child - £20.30 per week
Other children - £13.40 per week
If you would like to make a claim please click on the link
below:
Apply for Child Benefit
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Disability Living Allowance is a benefit for adults and children
with disabilities. It can be paid to people who have difficulty
looking after themselves and/or have difficulty getting around. You
do not have to have someone looking after you to qualify. You can't
apply for this benefit until three month since your problems in
getting around or care needs occured.
The benefit is tax free and is not affected by any earnings,
income or savings. It is paid as a top-up to what income you
already have.
It is paid in two parts:
Mobility component
There are two rates of the mobility component, high and low. This
can be paid from the age of 3 for the higher rate and 5 for the
lower rate.
Care component
There are three rates to the care component, high, middle and low.
This can be paid from the age of 3 months.
You cannot claim for Disability Living Allowance if you are over
the age of 65.
How much?
Care component:
High - £71.40
Middle - £47.80
Low - £18.95
Mobility component:
High - £49.85
Low - £18.95
If you would like to claim for this benefit please click on the
link below:
Apply for Disability Living Allowance
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Attendance Allowance is a benefit that can be paid to people
over 65 that have difficulty looking after themselves. You do not
have to have someone looking after you to qualify. You can claim
for this benefit after 6 months since your care needs occured. The
benefit is tax free and is not affected by any earnings, income or
savings. It is paid as a top-up to what income you already
have.
How much? High - £71.40 Low - £47.80.
If you would like to make a claim for this benefit please click on
the link below:
Apply for Attendance Allowance
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Carer's Allowance is a benefit that can be paid if you regularly
spend 35 hours a week or more looking after someone.
It is not means-tested and does not depend on you having paid
National Insurance contributions, however it is taxable and does
count as income for Tax Credits.
In order to qualify you must:
- regularly spend 35 hours per week looking after someone who
receives middle or high rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance or any rate of Attendance Allowance ;
- be 16 years old or over;
- not be in full-time education;
- if you work you must not earn more than £95 per
week.
How much? £53.10
If you would like to make a claim for this benefit please click on
the link below:
Apply online for Carer's Allowance
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Income Support
Income Support depends on your earnings, income and savings. It
does not depend on your National Insurance contributions. It can be
paid on its own or it can be paid as a top-up to the income you
already have. It can be used to help with mortgage payments. The
amount you receive depends on your individual circumstances.
In order to qualify you must satisfy the following
conditions:
You must be in Great Britain.
You must be between 16 and 60 years old;
You must not be working more than 16 hours per week;
Your partner must not be working more than 24 hours per week;
You cannot have capital of more than £16,000;
You must also fit into one of the following categories:
You are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay;
You are caring for someone (seek advice);
You are a lone parent and your youngest child is under the age of
10;
If you would like to make a claim for Income Support please
click on the link below:
Apply
online for income support .
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Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are affected by your
earnings, income and capital. They do not depend on your National
Insurance contributions.
Housing Benefit helps to pay for your rent and Council Tax
Benefit helps to pay for your Council Tax.
If you receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's
Allowance, income-related Employment & Support Allowance or the
Guarantee Credit of Pension Credit you should be entitlement to
full Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Housing Benefit:
To qualify you must satisfy the following conditions:
- You are liable to pay rent on your home;
- With the exception of some people over 60, you have savings of
less than £16,000;
- You have a fairly low income;
- You make a claim and provide the required information.
- Housing Benefit can only cover rent, it cannot help with
mortgage payments or service charges.
Council Tax Benefit:
In order to qualify you must satisfy the following
conditions:
- You must be at least 18 years old;
- With the exception of some people over the age of 60, you have
savings of less than £16,000;
- You have a fairly low income;
- You make a claim and provide the required information.
- Council Tax Benefit does not cover water and/or sewerage
charges.
How much?
The amount of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit you
receive depends on your individual circumstances.
Please note that any entitlement to Child Benefit and
Maintenance is disregarded for Housing and Council Tax benefit
purposes.
For more information and to apply online for Housing Benefit and
Council Tax Benefit click on the links below:
Uk government internet pages
Perth and Kinross Council internet pages
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There are three kinds of benefits you can get when your spouse
or civil partner has died. These benefits were introduced on 9
April 2001 and replaced widows' benefit.
Bereavement Allowance is a regular payment you
can get for 52 weeks. It is a taxable benefit and it may not be
paid if you receive other benefits.
Conditions:
- You must have been 45 years old or over when your husband or
wife died.
- You must have been legally married or in a civil
partnership.
- Your late husband or wife must have satisfied the National
Insurance contributions condition.
- The amount you are paid is related to the age you were when
your spouse died.
Bereavement Payment is a tax free lump-sum
payment of £2,000 for bereaved spouses and civil
partners.
Conditions:
- You must have been under the state pension age when your spouse
died.
- Your spouse must have satisfied the National Insurance
contributions condition.
Widowed Parent's Allowance is paid to bereaved
men and women who have at least one dependent child (or a young
person under the age of 20 in full-time non-advanced education). It
is a taxable benefit. You qualify to get it if your spouse have
satisfied the National Insurance contributions condition, however
if their contribution is not complete you may be entitled to a
smaller amount.
For more information or to make a claim for any of these benefits
please click the link below:
Bereavement benefits
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If you are on a low income and need help to pay for a funeral
you are arranging, you may be able to get a Funeral Payment from
the Social Fund. You might have to repay some or all of it from the
estate of the person who died.
You are entitled to a Funeral Payment if you or your partner
accept responsibility for the costs of a funeral and receive one of
the following benefits:
- Income Support,
- Pension Credit,
- Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance,
- Income-Related Employment & Support Allowance,
- Child Tax Credit (more than the family element),
- Working Tax Credit (that includes an element for
disability),
- Housing or Council Tax Benefit.
You must be in one of the following groups to make a claim:
- partner of the deceased,
- parent or person responsible for a deceased child,
- parent of a still born child,
- close friend or close relative of the deceased (close-relative
means: parent/parent-in-law; son/son-in-law;
daughter/daughter-in-law; brother/brother-in-law;
sister/sister-in-law; stepson/step-daughter-in-law or
step-parent).
You cannot get a payment as a close friend or close relative of
the deceased if:
- The deceased had a partner when they died
- If there is a parent, son or daughter of the deceased who is
not receiving qualifying benefits or was not estranged from the
deceased.
The deceased person must have normally lived in the UK at the
time they died.
You must claim within three months of the date of the
funeral.
If the funeral director's bill have already been paid you will get
the money, if not - it can be paid straight into their bank account
or sent to you as a checque to give them.
for more information and to download the application form click the
link below:
Funeral Payment
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Community Care Grant is a lump-sum payment which does not have
to be paid back. It is only available for those in receipt of
Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related
Employment & Support Allowance and the Guarantee Credit of
Pension Credit.
Community Care Grant is a discretionary payment made by the Social
Fund, in order to qualify you must satisfy the following
conditions:
- Receive one of the qualifying benefits mentioned above;
- Not have too much capital (less than £500 under 60 and
less than £1000 over 60);
You must need the grant for one of the following reasons:
- Leaving institutional or residential care,
- Staying out of institutional or residential care,
- Families under exceptional pressure,
- Setting up home in the community as part of a planned programme
of resettlement,
- Travel expenses within the UK to visit a sick person,
- Attend a relative's funeral,
- Ease a domestic crisis,
- Move to suitable accommodation,
- Visit a child who is with the other parent pending a court
decision,
- Allow you to care for a prisoner or young offender on temporary
release.
If you would like to make a claim for a Community
Care Grant please click on the link below:
Community Care Grant information and application
form
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You may get a Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) for winter 2009/10
if:
- you are aged 60 or over during 21 to 27 September 2009,
- you normally live in Great Britain or Northern Ireland,
This is a lump-sum payment paid to help with fuel expenses. The
deadline is 30 March of the year before the winter you would like
to get paid.
How much?
If you are between 60 and 79 and don't get
benefits (Pension Credit, Income-Based Jobseeker's
Allowance or Income-Related Employment & Support
Allowance):
- £250 if you are the only person in the household entitled
to a payment,
- £125 if you share a household with one or more other
people entitled to a payment.
If you are between 60 and 79 and get benefits
(Pension Credit, Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance or
Income-Related Employment & Support Allowance):
- £250 regardless of who else is in the household, money is
paid to the person in receipt of the above benefit.
If you are 80 or over :
- £400 if you are the only person in the household aged 80
or over,
- £200 each if there are more people over 80 entitled to a
payment.
If one of you is over 80 and the other is between
60-79 then you will be paid £275 and £125
respectively.
For more information and to download the claim form click on the
link:
Winter Fuel Payment
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