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Children's Handbook Scotland | 2024/25

Chapter 1: Benefits and tax credits

• 1. Introduction
• Benefit cap
• 2. Adult disability payment
• Who can get adult disability payment
• Disability test: daily living and mobility components
• Amount of benefit
• 3. Attendance allowance
• Who can get attendance allowance
• Disability test
• Amount of benefit
• 4. Best Start grant
• Pregnancy and baby payment
• Early learning payment
• School-age payment
• Responsible for the child
• 5. Carer’s allowance
• Who can get carer’s allowance
• The disabled person’s benefit
• Breaks from caring
• Overlapping benefits
• Carer element, carer premium and carer addition
• Amount of benefit
• Carer's allowance supplement
• 6. Child benefit
• Who can get child benefit
• Who counts as a child
• Who counts as a qualifying young person
• Relevant education
• Approved training
• Extension period
• Terminal date
• Responsible for a child
• Priority between claimants
• Amount of benefit
• 7. Child disability payment
• Who can get child disability payment
• Disability test: care component
• Disability test: mobility component
• Amount of benefit
• 8. Council tax reduction
• Who can get council tax reduction
• Amount of reduction
• Step one: calculate maximum council tax reduction
• Step two: if you get some means-tested benefits
• Step three: if you do not get these means-tested benefits
• Step four: work out your weekly income
• Step five: calculate your council tax reduction
• 9. Employment and support allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Who can get income-related employment and support allowance
• Amount of benefit
• Step one: work out your capital
• Step two: work out your applicable amount
• Step three: work out your weekly income
• Step four: deduct weekly income from applicable amount
• Contributory employment and support allowance
• Who can get contributory employment and support allowance
• Amount of benefit
• 10. Funeral support payment
• Who can get a funeral support payment
• 11. Guardian’s allowance
• Who can get guardian’s allowance
• Who is an eligible child
• Parents and adoptive parents
• Amount of benefit
• 12. Health benefits
• Who is exempt from charges
• Qualifying benefits
• Exempt groups
• Low income scheme
• Best Start foods
• 13. Housing benefit
• Who can get housing benefit
• Who cannot get housing benefit
• Amount of benefit
• Step one: calculate the maximum housing benefit
• Step two: deduct amounts for non-dependants from maximum housing benefit
• Step three: if you get means-tested benefits
• Step four: if you do not get means-tested benefits
• Step five: work out your weekly income
• Step six: calculate your housing benefit
• Discretionary housing payments
• 14. Income support
• Who can get income support
• Groups of people who can get income support
• Amount of benefit
• Step one: work out your capital
• Step two: work out your applicable amount
• Step three: work out your weekly income
• Step four: deduct weekly income from applicable amount
• 15. Jobseeker’s allowance
• Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Who can get income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Amount of benefit
• Contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Who can get contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Amount of benefit
• 16. Pension credit
• Who can get pension credit
• Pension age
• Amount of benefit
• Guarantee credit
• Step one: calculate your appropriate minimum guarantee
• Step two: work out your weekly income
• Step three: deduct income from appropriate minimum guarantee
• Savings credit
• 17. Personal independence payment
• Who can get personal independence payment
• Disability conditions
• Amount of benefit
• 18. Scottish child payment
• Who can get Scottish child payment
• Responsible for a child
• Qualifying benefits
• Priority between claimants
• Amount of benefit
• 19. The Scottish Welfare Fund
• Crisis grants
• Community care grants
• 20. Statutory adoption pay
• Who can get statutory adoption pay
• Amount of benefit
• 21. Tax credits
• Child tax credit
• Who can get child tax credit
• Amount of child tax credit
• Working tax credit
• Who can get working tax credit
• Amount of working tax credit
• Changes of circumstances and tax credits
• 22. Universal credit
• Who can get universal credit
• Amount of benefit
• Step one: capital
• Step two: work out your maximum amount
• Step three: work out your earnings and how much can be ignored
• Step four: work out your other income and how much can be ignored
• Step five: calculate your total income
• Step six: calculate your universal credit entitlement
• Claimant commitment
• Monthly assessment period