7. Other benefits and tax credits

• The benefit cap
• Passported benefits

You cannot make a new claim for income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), housing benefit (there are some exceptions - see here), child tax credit or working tax credit.

You can still get other benefits, such as carer support payment (CSP), contributory ESA or contribution-based JSA, but they may count as income.

The benefit cap

Your universal credit (UC) is reduced if your total income from benefits is over the maximum level that you or your partner can receive. The monthly amount is:

•£1,835.00 if you are a lone parent or member of a couple;
•£1,229.42 if you are a single person.

The benefits that count towards the cap include child benefit and maternity allowance.

You are exempt from the cap if:

•you or your partner are working and earning at least £793 a month; or
•you or your partner are disabled. You or your partner must get certain disability benefits, including disability living allowance (DLA), personal independence payment (PIP), adult disability payment (ADP), ESA with a support component, or UC with a limited capability for work-related activity element; or
•you are responsible for a child or young person who gets child disability payment, DLA, ADP or PIP; or
•you or your partner are a carer and get carer’s allowance, CSP or the carer element in UC; or
•you are a war widow(er).

There is protection for nine months before the cap applies if you are no longer working, or are earning less than £793 a month, but were working and earning at least £793 a month for each of the 12 months before this.

If you are affected by the cap, you should apply for a discretionary housing payment (DHP) from your local authority. The Scottish government has agreed to always award a DHP where UC is reduced due to the benefit cap (you must also have a UC housing cost element).

Passported benefits

Provided you meet any other conditions, getting UC entitles you to:

•a Best Start grant;
•Best Start foods;
•Scottish child payment;
•funeral support payments;
•free school lunches from your local authority, provided your earnings (or the earnings of you and your partner) are not more than £796 in the assessment period before your application.

If you get UC and have income below a certain level, you are eligible for:

•free dental treatment (see here);
•vouchers for glasses (see here).

You may also be eligible for a school clothing grant - see mygov.scot/clothing-grants.