Benefits for adults and parents/carers

• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Premiums in benefits such as Income Support, Income Related Jobseekers Allowance and Income Related ESA?
  • Disability Premium
  • Severe Disability Premium
  • Enhanced disability premium
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer’s Credit

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is a new benefit payment to help with living costs and is paid monthly. You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income or out of work.

Universal Credit is replacing the following benefits:

• Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Working Tax Credit

If you currently receive any of these benefits, you can’t claim Universal Credit at the same time.

Find out more: 

• Haringey Council's Universal Credit page
• Universal Credit at GOV.UK (external link)

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Income Support

You can claim Income Support if you’re:

• between 16 and 60
• a carer
• a lone parent responsible for a child under 5

and you are:

• on a low income
• not working at all or working on average less than 16 hours a week
• meet certain residence and presence conditions
• not in fulltime education (there are some exceptions to this)

Income Support at GOV.UK (external link)

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Premiums in benefits such as Income Support, Income Related Jobseekers Allowance and Income Related ESA

Premiums are extra amount that can added to these benefits if you qualify. (In Universal Credit these premiums are called “elements”, and there are also some other differences that may affect what elements you can receive).

Find out more on the government's Universal Credit page (external link).

If you (or a partner) have a disability you may qualify for one or more disability premiums:

• disability premium
• severe disability premium
• enhanced disability premium

Disability Premium

This is an amount of money that can be added to your means tested Income Support or Income Related JSA or ESA if you get certain benefits, such as DLA, PIP or the Disability Element of Working Tax Credits.

Severe Disability Premium

The Severe Disability Premium is an extra amount that is included in some means-tested benefits to help with the cost of disability. It can be included in Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Guarantee Pension Credit and Housing Benefit; but not in Universal Credit. A person can only receive this if they are “treated” as living alone and no one receives payment of Carer’s Allowance for the care they give to them.

Enhanced Disability Premium

To receive the Enhanced Disability Premium in your means-tested benefit you need to receive:

• the enhanced rate of the daily living component of PIP
• AFIP
• the highest rate of the care component of DLA
• be in the Support Group of ESA and entitled to Income Related ESA.

 Disability Premiums at GOV.UK (external link)

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Carer's Allowance

If you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week and they get certain benefits (Attendance Allowance (any rate), Disability Living Allowance (middle or higher rate care), or Personal Independence Payment (standard or enhanced daily living rate) you could get Carer’s Allowance. (There are other criteria you must meet)

• Carer’s Allowance is a non means tested benefit and is normally paid weekly. It is a work replacement benefit to meet some of your day to day living costs.
• You don’t have to live with or be related to the person you care for.
• Carer’s Allowance may affect the other benefits that you and the person you care for get.
• Carer’s Allowance will be paid into your bank account.
• Each week you get Carer’s Allowance you’ll automatically get a Class 1 National Insurance credits.

Carers Allowance at GOV.UK (external link)

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Carer's Credit

If you are over 16 and caring for someone for at least 20 hours a week you could get Carer’s Credit.

Carer’s Credit is not a payment but is a National Insurance credit that helps with gaps in your National Insurance record. This helps to protect the contributions you need for your State Pension.

Money you earn, savings or investments do not affect eligibility for Carer’s Credit.

The person you’re looking after must be receiving one of the following:

• Disability Living Allowance - care component at the middle or higher rate
• Attendance Allowance
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment - daily living component, at the standard or enhanced rate
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

If the person you’re caring for doesn’t get one of these benefits, you may still be able to get Carer’s Credit. When you apply ask a health or social care professional to sign the “Care Certificate’ part of the application form.

Carer's Credit at GOV.UK (external link)

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