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Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

This content was last updated:01 Dec 2025

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

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Release 1.96

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Index

Part 1: Introduction

Chapter 1: How to use this book

1. About this Handbook

Scope of this Handbook

2. Using this Handbook

3. How this Handbook is organised

How the chapters are organised

4. Finding out what you can get

Part 2: Universal credit

Chapter 2: Transferring to universal credit

3. Transferring to universal credit

4. Change of circumstances

Couples

Chapter 3: Universal credit

Chapter 4: People included in your universal credit

2. Children

Chapter 5: The maximum amount

After a death

Chapter 6: The housing costs element

When you cannot get a housing costs element

2. The payment condition

3. The liability condition

4. The occupation condition

5. How the housing costs element is calculated: general rules

6. The housing costs element for private rented sector tenants

7. The housing costs element for social rented sector tenants

8. The housing costs element for owner-occupiers

The waiting period

Chapter 7: Income

Chapter 8: Capital

Temporary disregard after a move from tax credits to universal credit

4. Disregarded capital

5. Deliberately getting rid of capital

6. How capital is valued

Part 3: Other means-tested benefits

Chapter 9: Income-related employment and support allowance

Chapter 10: Housing benefit

2. The rules about your age

Working-age or pension-age housing benefit

7. Getting paid

8. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 11: Pension credit

Chapter 12: People included in your means-tested benefits

2. Children

3. Households

Chapter 13: Applicable amounts

Chapter 14: Help with ground rent, service charges and other housing costs

3. The amount of housing costs

Deductions for non-dependants

4. Liability to pay housing costs

Shared liability

5. Occupying accommodation as your home

6. Housing costs run-on

Chapter 15: Housing benefit rent restrictions

2. The local housing allowance rules

3. The social sector rules: the 'bedroom tax'

4. Hostels, houseboats, mobile homes, caravans and boarders

5. Exempt accommodation and claimants: the old scheme rules

6. Common rules

Chapter 16: Income: under pension age

Income or capital

3. Earnings

4. Other income

5. Notional income

6. Working out weekly income

Chapter 17: Income: over pension age

Chapter 18: Capital: under pension age

Care homes

4. Disregarded capital

5. Notional capital

6. How capital is valued

Chapter 19: Capital: over pension age

Part 4: Other benefits

Chapter 20: Attendance allowance

Chapter 21: Bereavement benefits

2. Widowed parent's allowance

3. Definitions

4. Special benefit rules

5. Claims and backdating

6. Getting paid

7. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 22: Carer's allowance

Chapter 23: Child benefit and guardian's allowance

Chapter 24: Disability living allowance

2. Disability living allowance care component

3. The rules about your age

7. Claims and backdating

8. Getting paid

9. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 25: Discretionary housing payments

When discretionary housing payments cannot be made

Getting a decision changed

6. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 26: Contributory employment and support allowance

7. Getting paid

8. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 27: Health benefits

Chapter 28: Industrial injuries benefits

Chapter 29: New-style jobseeker's allowance

Chapter 30: Maternity allowance

Chapter 31: Personal independence payment

Chapter 32 Retirement pensions

Chapter 33: Social fund payments

Chapter 34: Statutory maternity, adoption, paternity and other parental pay

6. Claims

7. Getting paid

Change of circumstances

8. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 35 Statutory sick pay

Chapter 36: Other payments and support

2. Support for mortgage interest loans

5. Education benefits

6. Help with childcare costs

Part 5: Special benefit rules

Chapter 37: Benefits for students

2. Employment and support allowance

3. Housing benefit

4. Other benefits

5. Student income and means-tested benefits

Chapter 38: Benefits in hospital, care homes, prison and in other special circumstances

2. People in care homes and similar accommodation

3. Prisoners

4. 16/17-year-old care leavers

5. People without accommodation

Part 6: National insurance, work and work-related rules

Chapter 39: National insurance contributions

How decisions are made

2. Paid national insurance contributions

3. National insurance credits

4. Contribution conditions for benefits

Chapter 40: Work and benefits

Chapter 41: Limited capability for work

2. Challenging a decision

3. Periods of limited capability for work

Linking rules

4. Work you can do while claiming employment and support allowance

Permitted work

Chapter 42: Universal credit system work-related requirements

2. The work-related requirements

3. Which requirements apply

Chapter 43: Universal credit system sanctions

Part 7: Claiming benefits and getting paid

Chapter 44: Claims

2. Who should claim

Appointees

3. Information to support your claim

4. The date of your claim

Chapter 45: Getting paid

3. Overlapping benefits

4. Advance payments

Benefits for which you cannot get an advance

5. The benefit cap

10. Recovery of benefits from compensation payments

Chapter 46: Hardship payments

Chapter 47: Overpayments

3. Benefit overpayments that are sometimes recoverable

4. Recovery of overpaid benefit

5. Overpayments of housing benefit

6. Overpayments of tax credits

Chapter 48: Fraud and penalties

3. Prosecution of offences

4. Administrative penalties for benefit offences

The option of paying a penalty

5. Sanctions for benefit offences

Part 8: Getting a benefit decision changed

Chapter 49: Decisions

2. Decisions on claims

Circumstances at time of decision

Chapter 50: Revisions and supersessions

Chapter 51: Appealing to the First-tier Tribunal

Chapter 52: Appealing to the Upper Tribunal and the courts

Error of law

2. How to appeal to the Upper Tribunal

3. After you get permission to appeal

If you disagree with the Upper Tribunal's decision

6. Appealing to the Court of Appeal or Court of Session

Chapter 53: Applying for judicial review

Chapter 54: Challenging decisions on statutory payments

3. Appealing against a decision

If your employer does not pay

Chapter 55: Complaints

Complaining to the Independent Case Examiner

4. Complaining about HMRC

Complaining to the Adjudicator

9. Legal action

Part 9: Immigration and residence rules for benefits

Chapter 56: Coming from abroad: immigration status

Who is a 'person subject to immigration control’

2. Benefits affected by immigration status

Exempt groups

3. Partners and children

4. National insurance numbers and contributions

5. Asylum seekers and refugees

Chapter 57 Coming from abroad: residence rules

Which rules apply

2. The different residence and presence tests

3. Habitual residence

4. Right to reside

5 Who has a right to reside

6. Rules for specific benefits

Chapter 58: Going abroad

2. Rules for specific benefits

Chapter 59: European Union co-ordination rules

Part 10: Scottish social security benefits

Chapter 60: The Scottish social security system

1. Overview of the Scottish social security system

2. Moving to or from Scotland

3. Scottish adult disability living allowance

4. How this part of the Handbook is organised

Chapter 61: Adult disability payment

Chapter 62: Scottish child payment, Best Start grants and Best Start foods

Chapter 63: Carers' payments

2. Carer's allowance supplement

Carer's allowance supplement if you live abroad

3. Young carer grant

Chapter 64: Child disability payment

Chapter 65: Funeral support payment

Deductions from awards

4. Claims and getting paid

5. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 66: Heating payments

Qualifying benefits

Who cannot get a pension age winter heating payment

7. Tax, other benefits and the benefit cap

Chapter 67: Pension age disability payment

Chapter 68: Claiming Scottish benefits and getting paid

2. Getting paid

Suspension of payments

3. Overpayments

4. Fraud

5. Complaints

Chapter 69: Determinations, redeterminations and appeals

If you do not get a determination after you make a claim

2. Redeterminations

3. Other ways to get a determination changed

4. Appealing to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland

5. Appeals to the Upper Tribunal for Scotland and the Court of Session

6. Short-term assistance

7. Appealing about process decisions

Appendices

Appendix 1: Information and advice

Schedule 1 Regulation 9(1) to the Working Tax Credit (Entitlement and Maximum Rate) Regulations 2002 No.2005

Appendix 4: Prescribed degrees of disablement

Schedule 2 to the Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations 1982 No.1408

Appendix 7: Abbreviations used in the notes

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Chapters

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count171

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Authors and acknowledgements

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count432

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count975

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count1,005

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count276

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count931

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 1: Introduction

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count4,708

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 2: Universal credit

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count65,876

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 3: Other means-tested benefits

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count120,124

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 4: Other benefits

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count147,578

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 5: Special benefit rules

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count29,688

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 6: National insurance, work and work-related rules

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count63,064

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 7: Claiming benefits and getting paid

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count48,197

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 8: Getting a benefit decision changed

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count67,634

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 9: Immigration and residence rules for benefits

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count66,880

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Part 10: Scottish social security benefits

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count61,755

Description: Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Welfare Benefits Handbook 2025/26

Author

CPAG

Word count6,684