Some benefits and benefit rules that do not fit easily into the other categories of benefits.
Back to work benefits
Child Maintenance Bonus
Extended payments of Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Mortgage interest 'run-on'
Job Grant
Return to work credit
In work credit
Discretionary help
If a person has to give up work again
'Welfare to Work' beneficiaries
Employment and Support Allowance work and training beneficiaries
Linking rules
Mortgage interest linking rule
Rapid re-claim
Other benefits
Christmas Bonus
Vaccine damage payments
These are short term forms of help, mainly connected with means tested benefits. They aim to encourage people to move from benefits into full time work. Most of these benefits are claimed via Jobcentre Plus.
This was a lump sum of up to £1,000 aimed at those who have been getting or are meant to be paid child maintenance whilst on Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance - income based. It was paid when the person or partner either works full-time or increases pay so that Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance is not payable. This scheme is only available to those who came under the 'old rules' of the Child Support Scheme. It is abolished from 27 October 2008. Any amount accrued up to that date can still be claimed if the qualifying conditions are met. A person's benefit claim must end by 26 November 2008 in order to claim the bonus.
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit extended payments
Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) are benefits which help a person pay rent and Council Tax. They are available to anyone whose income and savings are low enough regardless of whether they work or not.
HB and CTB extended payments are payments for an extra four weeks to help pay rent or Council Tax when a person starts works or increases their hours or pay.
A person can get extended payments of HB/CTB if:
- They have been getting Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance - income based for at least 26 weeks and this benefit ends because they go back to work or increase hours or pay
- The work is expected to last at least five weeks
- The person informs the HB/CTB section within four weeks of starting work/increasing hours or pay
There is no need to claim. Payments should be made automatically provided the HB/CTB section know of the change in circumstances.
The amount paid is the same as the claimant was getting before their benefit stopped.
At the end of the four weeks the claimant may be entitled to HB/CTB based on their earnings. The HB/CTB section should assess this automatically. There is no need to make a claim.
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This is for owner occupiers who get help with mortgage interest with their Employment and Support Allowance (income related), Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance - income based. The mortgage interest payments continue for four weeks where:
The person was claiming benefit for at least 26 continuous weeks
Their benefit stops because they start work or increase their hours or pay
The work is expected to last at least five weeks
There is no need to claim. The payments are made automatically provided the claimant informs the Jobcentre Plus office about starting work or increasing hours/pay.
This is a lump sum payment to people getting certain benefits which stop because they start work.
To qualify a person must:
start work or increase hours to at least 16 per week (24 for partners)
have been getting Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance - income based or Severe Disablement Allowance for at least 26 weeks
expect the work to last at least five weeks
The amount paid is:
There is no need to claim. It is paid automatically by Jobcentre Plus. It is non taxable and does not affect any other means tested benefits.
A weekly payment of £40 per week for 52 weeks to claimants who come off sickness or incapacity benefits to start work.
To get the credit a person must:
The credit is claimed from Jobcentre Plus. A Jobcentre Plus personal adviser should tell a person if they may qualify for it.
It does not affect any other means tested benefits.
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A weekly payment for 52 weeks for lone parents who have been in receipt of Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance - income based for at least 12 months, and come off benefit to start work.
The amount of the credit is £40 per week (£60 per week in London). It must be claimed from Jobcentre Plus within five weeks of starting work. It cannot be paid at the same time as the return to work credit.
Jobcentre Plus advisers have access to various funds out of which they may be able to make payments to claimants who are looking for or starting in work. This includes the Adviser Discretion Fund from which payments may be made to help claimants overcome barriers to work. For example a payment might be made towards travel to an interview or for work clothes or equipment.
These are rules which help a person who came off certain benefits to start work, to reclaim those benefits if they have to give up work again. Where these rules apply, the claimant can usually go back onto their previous rate of benefit. This is likely to be higher than they would get if they had to make a new claim under the normal rules.
Welfare to work beneficiaries
These are people who get an incapacity benefit for over 196 days, come off the benefit and start work within a month of benefit stopping. If the job doesn't work out they can reclaim the benefit within 104 weeks and go back onto their previous rate. It also applies to people who start training for which they get training allowance and then reclaim benefit.
The benefits covered by this rule include Incapacity Benefit, Income Support (for incapacity), Severe Disablement Allowance and National Insurance credits for incapacity.
Simliar to the rule above but for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants. The rule applies where a person has had limited capability for work at least 13 weeks and comes off ESA to start work or training within a month of ESA stopping.
If they reclaim ESA within 104 weeks they will be treated as having limited capability for work for the first 13 weeks of the new claim. If they were previously in the support group they will go back into that group. More information about Employment and Support Allowance.
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If neither of the above rules apply, a person can still reclaim an incapacity benefit and go back onto their previous rate of benefit if the new claim is within a linking period. These are:
8 weeks for Incapacity Benefit, Income Support (for incapacity), Severe Disablement Allowance
12 weeks for Employment and Support Allowance
2 years for all these benefits if the person was entitled to the disability element of Working Tax Credit the day before they reclaim
A person can requalify for help with mortgage interest with Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance - income based (JSA-I) and Employment and Support Allowance (income related) (ESA(IR)) if they reclaim after coming off benefit to start work. The second claim must be made within:
52 weeks where Income Support or JSA-I stopped because the claimant or partner started full time work; or
104 weeks where the claimant is a welfare to work beneficiary for incapacity benefits, or a work and training beneficiary for ESA(IR).
This is a shorter claim process for people who reclaim Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance- income based, and associated claims for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. It applies when a person reclaims within 12 weeks of their previous claim, and their circumstances have not changed. They only need to complete a short claim form.
Not a 'back to work' or 'in work' benefit.
This is an automatic £10 one-off payment for those in receipt of certain qualifying benefits, for example, Retirement Pension, Carers Allowance, Disability Living Allowance - for a week from the first Monday in December. However for 2008/2009 there will be an additional £60 payment. This should be paid automatically. For any enquiries phone 0800 1412591
More information on the Christmas Bonus
Tax free one off payment of up to £100,000. Paid to those who are severely disabled due to vaccination.
See also
Means tested benefits | Non means tested benefits | benefit administration | the rates | Introduction to benefits
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