Children's Handbook Scotland | 2024/25Chapter 1: Benefits and tax credits 15. Income support
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15. Income support
Note: income support (IS) is being replaced by universal credit (UC) and you cannot make a new claim for IS.
IS provides basic financial support for some people under pension age (see here) who are not expected to ‘sign on’ as available for work – eg, lone parents with a child under a certain age and people caring for a disabled person. IS is a means-tested benefit, so any income and savings you have may affect how much IS you get or whether you are entitled. You do not have to have paid any national insurance contributions to get IS.
The DWP is responsible for the administration of IS.
Who can get income support
If you are not in the UC system, you can get IS if:1s124 SSCBA 1992
    •you are aged at least 16 and under pension age (see here); and
    •you fit into one of the groups of people who can get IS (see here); and
    •you are not working for 16 hours or more a week; and
    •your partner, if you have one, is not working for 24 hours or more a week (there are some exceptions to this); and
    •you are not studying full time (there are some exceptions to this rule); and
    •you are not entitled to jobseeker’s allowance (JSA); and
    •you are not entitled to employment and support allowance (ESA) and your partner, if you have one, is not entitled to income-related ESA; and
    •your partner, if you have one, is not entitled to income-based JSA or pension credit (PC); and
    •you are present in Great Britain, satisfy the ‘habitual residence test’, including having the ‘right to reside’, and are not a ‘person subject to immigration control’. (You can sometimes be paid IS for the first four or eight weeks you are outside Britain.) These terms are explained in CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook; and
    •you have no more than £16,000 capital; and
    •your income is less than the set amount the law says you need to live on (known as your ‘applicable amount’ – see here).
 
1     s124 SSCBA 1992 »
Groups of people who can get income support
You can get IS if:1Reg 4ZA and Sch 1B IS Regs
    •you are a carer and you get carer’s allowance (CA – see here) or carer support payment (CSP – see here), or you are looking after someone who is getting attendance allowance (AA – see here), either rate of the daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP - see here) or personal independence payment (PIP – see here), or the middle or highest rate care component of child disability payment (CDP – see here) or disability living allowance (DLA), or you are looking after someone who has claimed these benefits in the last 26 weeks and is waiting for a decision; or
    •you are a lone parent with a child aged under five; or
    •you are on statutory sick pay (SSP); or
    •you are looking after your partner or child because they are temporarily ill; or
    •you are looking after a child whose parent is temporarily ill or away; or
    •you are fostering a child aged under 16 through the local authority (or an agency on behalf of the local authority) and you do not have a partner; or
    •you are a kinship carer of a ‘looked-after’ child aged under 16 and you do not have a partner; or
    •you are not a member of a couple and a child aged under 16 has been placed with you for adoption; or
    •you are expecting a child in less than 11 weeks, you had a baby in the last 15 weeks or you are incapable of work because of your pregnancy.
There are some limited additional groups of people who can get IS. For more details, see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook.
If you are a member of a couple, one of you gets IS for both of you. Your joint income and capital is taken into account.
 
1     Reg 4ZA and Sch 1B IS Regs »
Amount of benefit
The amount of IS you get depends on your circumstances and on the circumstances of your partner, if you have one. The amount also depends on your income and capital. Go through the following steps to work out the amount of IS to which you are entitled.
Step 1: work out your capital
If your capital is over £16,000, you cannot get IS.1s134 SSCBA 1992; reg 45 IS Regs Some kinds of capital are ignored. For details, see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook.
 
1     s134 SSCBA 1992; reg 45 IS Regs »
Step 2: work out your applicable amount
This is an amount for basic weekly needs. It is made up of personal allowances (see here), premiums (see here) and housing costs (see here).
 
Personal allowance
Your personal allowance is made up of a personal allowance at either the single, lone parent or couple rate, depending on your situation.1Sch 2 para 1 IS Regs
 
Weekly rate
Conditions
Single
Under 25
£71.70
No special conditions.
25 or over
£90.50
No special conditions.
Lone parent
Under 18
£71.70
No special conditions.
18 or over
£90.50
No special conditions.
Couple
Both aged 16/17 (lower rate)
£71.70
For couples who cannot get a higher rate.
Both aged 16/17 (higher rate)
£108.30
You get the higher rate if:
– you or your partner are responsible for a child; or
– you and your partner would be eligible to claim IS or income-related ESA if you were single; or
– your partner is eligible for income-based JSA or entitled to severe hardship payments of JSA.
One aged 16/17 (certain cases)
£142.25
Your partner is under 18 and is eligible for IS or income-related ESA, or would be if they were single, or they are eligible for income-based JSA or entitled to severe hardship payments of JSA.
One aged 16/17, one 18–24
£71.70
If the rate above does not apply.
One aged 16/17, one 25 or over
£90.50
If the rate above does not apply.
Both aged 18 or over
£142.25
No special conditions.
 
Premiums
Whether or not you qualify for premiums depends on your circumstances. You can qualify for either:
    •disability premium of £42.50 (£60.60 for a couple); or
    •pensioner premium of £190.70 for couples.
In addition, you may qualify for:2Sch 2 para 6 IS Regs
    •carer premium of £45.60; and/or
    •enhanced disability premium of £20.85 (£29.75 for a couple); and/or
    •severe disability premium of £81.50.
You get a carer premium if you or your partner are entitled to CA (see here) or carer support payment (CSP – see here). If you are entitled to CA/CSP but not paid it because it overlaps with another benefit (eg, ESA), you still qualify for a carer premium. You get two carer premiums if both you and your partner qualify.
You get a disability premium if you or your partner get:3Sch 2 paras 11 and 12 IS Regs
    •AA, DLA, ADP or PIP; or
    •long-term incapacity benefit; or
    •severe disability allowance; or
    •working tax credit with a disabled worker or severe disability element; or
    •war pensioner’s mobility supplement; or
    •armed forces independence payment; or
    •constant attendance allowance; or
    •exceptionally severe disablement allowance.
You also qualify if:
    •you are certified as severely sight impaired or blind or have stopped being certified within the last 28 weeks; or
    •you have been entitled to SSP for a continuous period of 196 days and you are terminally ill (breaks in entitlement of up to eight weeks are ignored); or
    •you have claimed IS on the grounds of incapacity for at least 364 days.
If you are the IS claimant and you have a partner, you get a disability premium if they get any of the qualifying benefits or are blind.
You get an enhanced disability premium if you get the highest rate DLA care component or the enhanced rate of ADP or PIP daily living component. It is paid at the rate of £20.85 if you qualify and are single or a lone parent, or £29.75 if you have a partner and one or both of you qualifies.4Sch 2 paras 13A and 15(8) IS Regs
People who have reached pension age usually claim PC rather than IS. However, you get a pensioner premium if you are claiming IS and you have a partner who has reached pension age (see here).5Sch 2 paras 9, 9A and 10 IS Regs In this situation, you would not get the enhanced disability premium.
The severe disability premium is for severely disabled people who live alone, or can be treated as living alone. You qualify for this premium if you get the middle or highest rate care component of DLA, the daily living component of ADP/PIP or either rate of AA and no one gets CA/CSP for looking after you. You will not get it if you live with another person aged 18 or over (eg, a friend or parent), unless they are separately liable for rent, you only share a bathroom or hallway, or in some other circumstances.6Sch 2 para 13 IS Regs See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for details.
If you have a partner, you do not qualify unless they also qualify in their own right or are certified as severely sight impaired or blind. If you both qualify, you get two premiums.
 
Housing costs
If you own your own home, IS can help with certain service charges.7Sch 3 IS Regs The rules are explained in CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook.
 
1     Sch 2 para 1 IS Regs »
2     Sch 2 para 6 IS Regs »
3     Sch 2 paras 11 and 12 IS Regs »
4     Sch 2 paras 13A and 15(8) IS Regs »
5     Sch 2 paras 9, 9A and 10 IS Regs »
6     Sch 2 para 13 IS Regs »
7     Sch 3 IS Regs »
Step 3: work out your weekly income
Some kinds of income are ignored. For details, see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook.
See the relevant chapters of this Handbook for more information on how specific income (eg, fostering allowances and payments from the local authority) is treated.
Step 4: deduct weekly income from applicable amount
If your income is less than your applicable amount, IS equals the difference between the two.
If your income is the same as or more than your applicable amount, you cannot get IS.