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Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook 2025/26

Release 2.20

Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook 2024/25

• Author and acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Universal credit rates 2024/25
• Other means-tested benefit rates 2024/25
• Non-means-tested benefit rates 2024/25
• Tax credit rates 2024/25
• How to use this Handbook
• Up to date
• Full-time students
• Structure of the Handbook
• Further information, training and advice
• Benefits and tax credits: overview
• Part 1: Benefits and tax credits
• Chapter 1: Adult disability payment
• 1. What is adult disability payment
• 2. Who is eligible
• Daily living component
• Mobility component
• Students
• 3. Amount of benefit
• 4. Claiming adult disability payment
• 5. Challenging a decision
• 6. Other benefits and tax credits
• Chapter 2: Carer support payment
• 1. What is carer support payment
• 2. Who is eligible
• Full-time non-advanced education
• Basic rules
• 3. Amount of benefit
• 4. Claiming carer support payment
• 5. Challenging a decision
• 6. Other benefits and tax credits
• The disabled person's benefit
• Overlapping benefits
• Getting a carer premium or element
• Working tax credit
• Carer's allowance supplement
• Young carer grant
• Chapter 3: Child benefit
• 1. What is child benefit
• 2. Who is eligible
• Who counts as a child
• Who counts as a qualifying young person
• The extension period
• The terminal date
• 3. Amount of benefit
• 4. Claiming child benefit
• Getting paid
• 5. Challenging a decision
• 6. Other benefits and tax credits
• Chapter 4: Employment and support allowance
• 1. What is employment and support allowance
• 2. Who is eligible
• Contributory employment and support allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• 3. Limited capability for work
• 4. Amount of benefit
• Contributory employment and support allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• 5. Claiming employment and support allowance
• 6. Challenging a decision
• 7. Other benefits and tax credits
• Chapter 5: Health benefits
• 1. What are health benefits
• 2. Who is eligible
• Under age 19
• Under age 26
• Age 26 or over
• Qualifying benefits
• Exempt groups
• Low income scheme
• 3. Claiming health benefits
• 4. Challenging a decision
• Chapter 6: Housing benefit
• 1. What is housing benefit
• 2. Who is eligible
• Full-time students
• Studying part time
• 3. Basic rules
• Liable for rent
• Your normal home
• Eligible accommodation
• 4. Amount of benefit
• Step 1: capital
• Step 2: maximum rent
• Step 3: deductions for non-dependants
• Step 4: getting a means-tested benefit
• Step 5: not getting a means-tested benefit
• Step 6: work out your applicable amount
• Step 7: work out your weekly income
• Step 8: calculate your housing benefit
• 5. Claiming housing benefit
• 6. Challenging a decision
• 7. Other benefits and tax credits
• The benefit cap
• Passported benefits
• Chapter 7: Income support
• 1. What is income support
• 2. Who is eligible
• Advanced or non-advanced education
• Full-time students
• Studying part time
• 3. Basic rules
• 4. Amount of benefit
• Step 1: capital
• Step 2: work out your applicable amount
• Step 3: work out your weekly income
• Step 4: deduct weekly income from applicable amount
• Applicable amount
• 5. Claiming income support
• Getting paid
• 6. Challenging a decision
• 7. Other benefits and tax credits
• Passported benefits
• Chapter 8: Jobseeker's allowance
• 1. What is jobseeker's allowance
• 2. Who is eligible
• Contribution-based jobseeker's allowance
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance
• Studying part time
• 3. Basic rules
• Contribution-based jobseeker's allowance
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance
• 4. Amount of benefit
• Contribution-based jobseeker's allowance
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance
• 5. Claiming jobseeker's allowance
• Couples
• 6. Challenging a decision
• 7. Other benefits and tax credits
• Passported benefits
• Chapter 9: Maternity, paternity and other parental benefits
• 1. What are maternity, paternity and other parental benefits
• Statutory maternity pay
• Maternity allowance
• Statutory paternity pay
• Statutory adoption pay
• Statutory shared parental pay
• Statutory parental bereavement pay
• 2. Who is eligible
• Statutory maternity pay
• Maternity allowance
• Statutory paternity pay
• Statutory adoption pay
• Statutory shared parental pay
• Statutory parental bereavement pay
• 3. Amount of benefit
• 4. Claiming maternity, paternity and other parental benefits
• 5. Challenging a decision
• 6. Other benefits and tax credits
• Chapter 10: Universal credit
• 1. What is universal credit
• 2. Who is eligible
• Students
• Who can claim universal credit
• 3. Basic rules
• 4. Amount of benefit
• Step 1: capital
• Step 2: work out your maximum amount
• Step 3: work out your monthly income
• Step 4: deduct monthly income from maximum amount
• Your maximum amount
• 5. Claiming universal credit
• 6. Challenging a decision
• 7. Other benefits and tax credits
• The benefit cap
• Passported benefits
• Chapter 11: Child tax credit
• 1. What is child tax credit
• 2. Who is eligible
• Your parent gets child tax credit for you
• 3. Amount of child tax credit
• Step 1: work out your maximum child tax credit
• Step 2: getting a means-tested benefit
• Step 3: not getting a means-tested benefit
• Step 4: work out your income
• Step 5: calculate your child tax credit
• 4. Awards of child tax credit
• 5. Challenging a decision
• 6. Tax credits and benefits
• Means-tested benefits
• Child benefit
• Passported benefits
• Chapter 12: Working tax credit
• 1. What is working tax credit
• 2. Who is eligible
• Qualifying hours
• 3. Amount of working tax credit
• 4. Awards of working tax credit
• 5. Challenging a decision
• 6. Tax credits and benefits
• Chapter 13: Other payments
• 1. Scottish child payment
• 2. Best Start grants
• 3. Best Start foods
• 4. Funeral support payments
• 5. Budgeting loans
• 6. The Scottish Welfare Fund
• 7. Challenging a decision
• Part 2: Student support
• Chapter 14: Student support
• 1. Full-time higher education
• Previous study
• Tuition fees
• Student loans
• Care-experienced students' bursary
• Young students' bursary
• Independent students' bursary
• Estranged students' bursary
• Dependants' grant
• Lone parents' grant
• Summer accommodation grant
• Disabled students' allowance
• Childcare fund
• Higher education discretionary fund
• 2. Full-time further education
• Education maintenance allowance
• Bursary maintenance allowance
• Care-experienced bursary maintenance allowance
• Dependants' allowance
• Additional support needs for learning allowance (ASNLA)
• Study expenses allowance
• Travel expenses allowance
• Further education discretionary fund
• Childcare fund
• 3. Part-time students
• Higher education courses
• Further education courses
• 4. Postgraduates
• 5. Paramedic, nursing and midwifery students
• Bursary
• Grants for living costs
• 6. Other support for students
• Sponsorship and scholarships
• Educational trusts and endowments
• Part 3: Treatment of income
• Chapter 15: How income affects universal credit
• 1. Working out your income
• 2. Grants and loans
• If you get a student loan for maintenance
• If you do not get a student loan for maintenance
• 3. Dividing income throughout the year
• 4. Earnings
• 5. Benefits
• 6. Maintenance
• 7. Savings and other capital
• Chapter 16: How income affects means-tested benefits
• 1. Working out your income
• 2. Grants and loans
• Grants
• Student loans for maintenance
• 3. Dividing student income throughout the year
• Student loans for maintenance
• Grants
• 4. Discretionary funds and other payments
• Discretionary funds
• Other payments
• 5. Earnings
• 6. Benefits and tax credits
• 7. Maintenance
• 8. Savings and other capital
• Chapter 17: How income affects tax credits
• 1. Working out your income
• 2. Grants and loans
• 3. Earnings
• 4. Benefits
• 5. Other income
• Income from self-employment
• Savings and investments
• Property
• Maintenance
• Chapter 18: How income affects health benefits
• 1. Working out your income
• 2. Grants and loans
• Grants
• Student loan
• 3. Discretionary funds and other payments
• Discretionary funds
• Other payments
• 4. Earnings
• 5. Benefits and tax credits
• 6. Maintenance
• 7. Savings and other capital
• Part 4: Other matters
• Chapter 19: Council tax
• 1. What is council tax
• 2. Who pays council tax
• Who counts as a student
• Exempt dwellings
• Who is liable for council tax
• Discounts
• Disability reduction
• 3. Council tax reduction
• Students eligible for council tax reduction
• 4. Second adult rebate
• Chapter 20: Time out from studies
• 1. Ill health
• Full-time students
• Part-time students
• 2. Pregnancy and children
• Lone parents
• Fathers and partners
• Couples
• 3. Carers
• 4. Re-sits
• 5. Time out for other reasons
• Appendices
• Appendix 1: Information and advice
• Publications
• Official guidance
• Legislation
• Advice
• Appendix 2: Useful addresses
• Appendix 3: Abbreviations used in the notes
• Acts of Parliament
• Regulations
• Other information
• Index