Income support
Income support (IS) is a benefit for people aged 16 or over and under pension age who are on a low income. Only certain groups get IS – eg, lone parents with a child under five and people caring for a disabled person. You cannot get IS if you are working for 16 hours or more a week (and/or if your partner is working 24 hours or more a week) or if you have savings of over £16,000. Your income must be less than the set amount the law says you need to live on (known as your ‘applicable amount’). New claims for IS are not possible. Instead, you can claim UC.