Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook 2023/24Part 3: Other means-tested benefits and tax creditsChapter 11: Income support 2. The rules about your age
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Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook 2024/25

2. The rules about your age
You must be at least 16 to qualify for income support (IS). If you are aged 16 or 17, see here.
You cannot qualify for IS if you are pension age or over (see here). It is your age as the claimant that is relevant, not the age of your partner. If you are at least pension age, you may be able to qualify for pension credit (see Chapter 13).
16/17 year olds
If you are 16 or 17, you can qualify for IS in your own right if you satisfy the rules of entitlement described in this chapter.1s124(1)(a) SSCBA 1992 Note: if you have been, or are being, looked after by a local authority, your local authority should support and accommodate you.
 
1     s124(1)(a) SSCBA 1992 »
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