Advice & Research
Income support

What is it?
Income Support (IS) is a weekly cash benefit intended to cover the basic living expenses of you and your family. It can be paid on its own or on top of any other benefit or income you may be getting. 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 the following conditions to be able to claim:

• Be residing in the UK
• Be aged 16 or older
• Not be studying full-time
• Not be working 16 or more hours per week
• If you have a partner, they must not be working 24 or more hours per week
• Your capital must not exceed the limits set out below. (The Benefit Agency regards capital as money in bank or building society accounts, stocks and shares etc)

1. If you or your partner are aged 60 or over:
   You must not have more than £12,000 in savings.
   Savings below £6,000 will be totally ignored.
   Savings of between £6,000 and £12,000 will affect the level of benefit you are paid
   
   
2. If you (and your partner, if you have one) are aged under 60 years old:
   You must not have more that £8,000 in savings. Savings below £3,000 will be totally ignored.
   Savings of between £3,000 and £8,000 will affect the level of benefit you are paid.
   
   
3. If you live in a residential care home:
   The savings limit is £16,000 and the first £10,000 is ignored completely.
   You must be in one of the specified categories of people eligible for IS e.g. "Incapable for work"

• Your income
• Your capital
• Whether you have a partner or children
• Your age
• Whether anyone in your family has a disability or is a carer
• Whether you have certain housing costs.

Set amounts for each of your different needs known as "personal allowances" or "premiums", are added together by the Benefit Agency to find a total which is the minimum amount the law says you need to live on. For IS purposes this is called the "applicable amount". The Benefit Agency then works out your current income. This is then deducted from the "applicable amount" and what is left is your IS entitlement.

Advising on this further is beyond the scope of the work of RSIA. To get a precise calculation of your IS entitlement contact your local CAB or CLS.

Personal Allowances

The personal allowances vary when the claimant or their partner are under 18. The Benefit agency sets "Lower or Higher" rates depending on your personal circumstances. Advising on this is beyond the scope of the work of the RSIA; for more information contact your local CAB or CLS.

Premiums

People with RSI type conditions may be missing out on additional assistance from IS because they do not realise that can claim.

Back to Synopsis

Advice & Research
Advice
H&S Legislation
Health & Saftey at Work 1974
DSE Regulations 1992
Manual Handling 1992
Workplace Regulations 1992
Reporting of Injuries
Work Equipment Regulations 1998
H&S Regulations 1999
Protective Equipment at Work 1992
Benefits
Income Support
Incapacity Benefit
Disability LIving Allowance
Industrial Injuries Disability Benefits
Council Tax Reduction Scheme
Disabled Persons Tax Credit
Employment Rights
Disclosing RSI to your Employer
Research
Research Index
Specific Research
Bruce Lynn & Jane Greening
Robens Institute for Health Ergonomics
Health & Safety Executive
EU-OSHA
Adam Ward

What is RSI   -   Conditions & RSI   -   Treatment & Managing RSI    -   RSI Hazards   -   Minimising Risks

> text only home page