Habitually resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the
the Isle of Man

Or treated as habitually resident in the United Kingdom

You may get Income Support if you are not expected to sign on as unemployed and you are:
Incapable of work due to sickness or disability

Or Bringing up children on your own

Or 60 or over

Or looking after someone with a disability

Or registered blind

Some people who are not in these groups may also be able to get Income Support

You cannot usually get Income Support if you are working for 16 hours or more on average a week, or your partner (if you have one) works for 24 hours or more on average a week.

There are exceptions to this rule, for example, for certain disabled people. Contact your social security office for more information.

Income Support can be paid to top up other benefits, or earnings from part-time work including self-employed work, or if you have no money coming in at all

Your right to Income Support does not depend on National Insurance contributions.

You, or you and your partner together, must not have over £8,000 in savings. Savings between £3,000 and £8,000 will affect the amount you can get. If you live permanently in a residential care home or nursing home, you will not get benefit if your savings are more than £16,000. Savings between £10,000 £16,000 will affect the amount of benefit you get.

If you are responsible for paying housing costs , you may be able to get help from Income Support.

If you are Buying your home you may be able to get help with your mortgage interest as part of your Income Support.

If you go into a residential care home or nursing home, you may be able to get

Income Support to help with the charge. See Leaflet IS50-Income Support– help if you live in a residential care home or nursing home

If you have children under 19 in nursery or full time education they may get a free meal every day. This also applies to young people aged 16, 17 0r 18 who get Income Support in their own right. This may not apply if your child, or a young person, is in full-time education at a sixth form college or college of further education.

If you get Income support you may be able to get extra help from the Social fund.

More information

There is more information about who can get Income Support in leaflet IS1-(Income Support-see if you are entitled) and in the Income Support claim forms.

The amount of Income Support you will get depends on whether you, or you and your partner together, have savings. If your savings are over £8,000 you cannot get Income Support. Each £250, or part of £250, between £3,000 and £8,000 will be treated as bringing in £1 a week.

Your Income Support payment may be made up of three parts:

A personal allowance for yourself and your partner (if you have one) and an allowance for any child or young person that you or your partner look after. What you get will depend on your age, and the age of your partner and children

Premium allowances for groups of people with special needs. A premium is an extra allowance for groups of people with special needs such as families with children, people with disabilities and pensioners. Get leaflet FB31– Caring for someone?.

Housing costs to help with mortgage interest and other housing costs not met by Housing Benefit . However, mortgage or home loan interest may be payable to your lender. Get leaflet IS8 Home owners-help with housing costs.