Lump-sum payments

Lump-sum payments are taken into account as capital if they are intended, and used, for food, ordinary clothing or footwear, household fuel, rent met by housing benefit (HB), housing costs met by income support (IS), jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) or employment and support allowance (ESA), council tax or water charges.1IS Reg 41(6) IS RegsJSA Reg 104(5) JSA RegsESA Reg 105(4) ESA RegsHB Reg 41(4) HB Regs Although taken into account as capital, they only affect your benefit if they bring your capital above the £6,000 lower limit (see here). Payments for school uniforms or sports clothes or sports shoes are ignored, as these do not count as ’ordinary clothing or footwear’.