Your circumstances | What to check | More information |
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If you are on a low income but you are not getting universal credit (UC) | Check if you qualify for UC.  In almost all circumstances, making a claim for UC ends your legacy benefits. (Legacy benefits are income-based job seeker's allowance, income support, income-related employment and support allowance, working-age housing benefit and tax credits.) If you get a legacy benefit, unless you have received a 'migration notice' (a letter telling you that your legacy benefit is going to end and giving you a date by which to claim universal credit), undertake a better off calculation before you make a UC application to check if you would be better off on UC. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
GOV.UK:
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If you get UC | If you are getting UC and you are responsible for a child or qualifying young person, check that you are getting the correct child element/s within your UC. If you already get child elements for at least two children within your UC award, and do not get an amount for a third or subsequent child, check whether any of the exceptions to the ‘two-child limit’ apply to you. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers): |
If your child gets a disability benefit (such as disability living allowance, child disability payment, personal independence payment or adult disability payment) or is certified as severely sight impaired or blind, check that the UC child element has been increased by a disabled child addition, and that the rate of the addition is correct. Note that: you can get a disabled child addition for a child, even if you do not get a child element for them because of the ‘two-child limit’. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
CPAG Welfare Rights:
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If you are responsible for a child and you and/or your partner work, an amount of your earnings can be ignored when calculating your UC. This is known as the ‘work allowance’. Check that the correct amount of your earnings is ignored. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
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If you have been sanctioned because you have not met your work-related requirements, check if you can challenge the sanction. In some circumstances, you should have no work-related requirements imposed on you. This includes if: •you had a baby not more than 15 weeks ago (including if this was a stillbirth); or •you are the responsible carer for a child under one; or •you are an adopter and the child was placed with you for adoption no more than a year ago.
You should not be sanctioned for failing to meet work-related requirements during this time. Note that: •If you are on UC and are the responsible carer for a one-year-old child, you are subject to the work-focused interview requirement only. •If you are on UC and are the responsible carer for a child aged two, you should only be subject to the work-focused interview and work preparation requirements. •More generous rules apply if you are a ‘responsible foster parent’.
| Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers): CPAG Welfare Rights tools (for subscribers): |
If you are subject to a benefit sanction | If you have been given a benefit sanction, in addition to considering challenging the decision, consider applying for a hardship payment. Check whether you qualify and whether the money is repayable, according to which benefit you get. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers): |
If you get working tax credit (WTC) but not child tax credit (CTC) | If you get WTC and you have, or have become responsible for, a child or qualifying young person, you can claim CTC. Inform the Tax Credits Office of this change in your circumstances. Completing a new claim form is not normally required. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
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If you get CTC | If you get CTC and have, or have become responsible for, another child or qualifying young person, check whether you can get another child element included in the calculation of your CTC. Inform the Tax Credits Office of this change in your circumstances. Note that: If you already get child additions for at least two children within your CTC, you can only get an addition for a third, or subsequent, child in certain circumstances. Check whether any of the exceptions to the ‘two-child limit’ apply to you. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
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If you are responsible for a child or qualifying young person | If you are not already getting child benefit for the child or ‘qualifying young person’, check if you qualify for it. You may have priority over any other claimant. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
GOV.UK:
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If you live in Scotland | Check if you qualify for Scottish child payment. This is a top-up benefit paid regularly for each child under 16 for whom families are responsible. It isn’t means-tested but you must receive a qualifying benefit. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
Children's Handbook Scotland:
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If you are not the child's parent and their parent has died | Check if you qualify for guardian's allowance. To get guardian’s allowance for a child, you must be entitled to, or treated as entitled to, child benefit for them. However, you usually must not be the child’s parent. | Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):
GOV.UK:
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