Income support

Income Support (IS) is a weekly cash benefit intended to cover the basic living expenses of you and your family. Even if you have income from another source:

• other benefits
• paid employment
• other income

you may still be able to receive a "top-up" from IS.

If you are on a low income it is worth investigating whether you qualify for IS. Claiming IS may lead to other assistance such as help with housing costs, Council Tax and NHS charges.

You do not have to sign on to receive IS. Generally, you must meet certain qualifying conditions to be eligible to claim.

The amount of IS you will receive depends on a number of factors: income, capital, whether you have a partner or children, age, whether anyone in your family has a disability or is a carer, whether you have certain housing costs.