Who is exempt from charges

Who is exempt from charges

You can be exempt either because you are getting a ‘qualifying benefit’ or because you are in one of the exempt groups.

Qualifying benefits

You get NHS dental treatment, vouchers for glasses, and certain fares to hospital if you get:

•universal credit (UC) and have no earnings, or you earn £435 or less a month (if your UC does not include a a child, limited capability for work or limited capability for work-related activity element) or £935 or less a month (if your UC includes one or more of these elements or you are assessed as having limited capabiity for work); or
•income support (IS); or
•income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA); or
•income-related employment and support allowance (ESA); or
•child tax credit (CTC), with or without working tax credit (WTC), and your income for tax credit purposes is £15,276 or less; or
•WTC with a disability or severe disability element and your income for tax credit purposes is £15,276 or less; or
•guarantee credit of pension credit (PC).

Exempt groups

You are eligible for free NHS dental treatment if:

•you are under 18; or
•you are under 19 in full-time education; or
•you are pregnant or have given birth in the last year; or
•you are under the Public Dental Service (for people who have difficulty getting treatment for reasons such as a disability); or
•you are an asylum seeker getting asylum support; or
•you get a war pension and need treatment for your war disablement; or
•you are a care leaver getting support from the local authority under section 29 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

You are eligible for vouchers for glasses or contact lenses if:

•you are under 16; or
•you are under 19 in full-time education; or
•you have a prescription for complex lenses; or
•you are a hospital eye service patient; or
•you are an asylum seeker getting asylum support; or
•you get a war pension and need treatment for your war disablement; or
•you are a care leaver getting support from the local authority under section 29 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

You are eligible for help with fares to hospital if:

•the hospital is 30 or more miles away, or it involves a journey of five miles or more by sea, and you live in the Highlands or Islands – ie:
◦the Highland region, Western Isles, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands;
◦Arran, Great Cumbrae, Little Cumbrae;
◦the area formerly covered by Argyll and Bute District Council;
◦parts of Moray (Aberlour, Cabrach, Dallas, Dyke, Edinkillie, Forres, Inveravon, Kinloss, Kirkmichael, Knockando, Mortlach, Rafford, Rothes); or
•you are an asylum seeker getting asylum support; or
•you get a war pension and need treatment for your war disablement; or
•you are a care leaver getting support from the local authority under section 29 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.