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Working Age related benefits

If you are aged 16 or over



<< back to Welfare Benefits page

If you are over the age of 16, then are you considered to be of working age. This does not necessarily mean you are able to work. Please see below for a list of benefits that you may be able to claim if you are of working age.

You may also wish to see our other pages entitled ‘Pension Age’, ‘Disability and Illness Related’, ‘Housing’, ‘Responsible for Children’, and ‘Social Fund Grants/Loans’.

  • Jobseekers Allowance
  • Income Support
  • Employment Support Allowance
  • Incapacity Benefit
  • Carers Allowance
  • Working Tax Credits
  • Child Tax Credits
  • In Work Credit
  • Job Grant
  • Travel to Interview Scheme
  • Help with Health Costs


Jobseekers Allowance

You may be able to get this if you do not work or work less than 16hrs per week. You must be capable of working, available for and actively seeking full time work (there are some exceptions to this, such as if you have caring responsibilities). There are 2 types of Jobseekers Allowance; Contribution Based, and Income Based.

Income Support

This is for those people who are:

  • carers
  • sick and disabled
  • registered blind
  • lone parents looking after a child aged under 12

From 26th October 2009, your youngest child must be aged under 10.
From 25th October 2010, your youngest child must be aged under 7.

Employment Support Allowance

This is for people who have an illness or disability and your doctor has given you a medical certificate regarding this. You will be given the appropriate support you need to enable you to engage in appropriate work, if you are able to.

Employment and Support Allowance was introduced on 27th October 2008 and replaced new claims to Incapacity Benefit, unless you have linking periods to a previous claim.

Incapacity Benefit

You may be able to get this if your illness or disability started before 27th October 2008.

Carers Allowance

You must be aged 16 or over and caring for someone for 35hrs or more per week, and that person gets Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, or Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care. You cannot get this if you are in full-time education, or earn more than £95 per week net. Other benefits you are getting can affect the amount of Carers Allowance you receive. If you cannot receive Carers Allowance because of other benefits or income, you may have ‘Underlying Entitlement to Carers Allowance’.

Working Tax Credits

There are 4 possible routes to being eligible to claim Working Tax Credits;

  1. Work at least 16hrs/wk and have dependant children, or
  2. Work at least 16hrs/wk and are a Disabled Worker, (must meet both the Benefit Conditions, and Disability Conditions), or
  3. Work at least 16hrs/wk and are aged 50+ (for the previous 6 months must have been in receipt of IS, JSA, IB, ESA). On this route the WTC is only payable for 1 year, or
  4. Work at least 30hrs/wk and are aged 25+


Child Tax Credits

You must be aged 16 or over and be responsible for a child or young person who is in full time education, or work based training up to their 20th Birthday; they must be accepted and enrolled by their 19th Birthday.

In Work Credit

This is for lone parents who have started work of at least 16 hours per week and is designed to top up your income for a maximum period of 52 weeks so long as you remain in work and stay off benefits. The amount you get is a fixed tax free payment of £40 per week. To be eligible you must have been in receipt of Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance for the previous 52 weeks (and not be getting Return to Work Credit).

Job Grant

This is a non-repayable one-off lump sum paid to you when you start work and stop getting benefits. You must have been in receipt of Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, or Severe Disablement Allowance for the previous 26 consecutive weeks. The work must be at least 16 hours per week (or 24hours per week if your partner has started work), and expected to last 5 weeks or more. You only have 21 days from the date you started work to apply for the Job Grant. This is usually paid automatically.

Travel to Interview Scheme

This is a financial incentive designed to encourage you as a jobseeker to widen your job search area, by providing the travelling costs to attend a job interview in the UK, that is beyond your ‘’normal daily travelling distance’’. This is usually 90 minutes travelling time. You must be unemployed and claiming benefits (directly or indirectly). You must apply for this before you travel to your interview. The interview must be for a job that is expected to last for at least 3 months and be at least 16hours per week.

Help with Health Costs

The type of help for health costs includes: free NHS prescriptions; free NHS dental treatment; free NHS sight tests; vouchers towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses; free NHS wigs and fabric supports; help with the costs of travel for NHS treatment (on referral by a doctor or dentist).

To be eligible for any of the above you either need to have certain medical conditions, be in receipt of War Disablement Pension or have a War Pension Exemption Certificate, or yourself and/or your partner need to be in receipt of one of the following:

  • Income Support; Jobseekers Allowance (income based)
  • Employment Support Allowance (income related)
  • Pension Credit (guarantee credit)
  • Working Tax Credit with Child Tax Credit and your income is £15,050 per year or less
  • Working Tax Credit with a disability element and your income is £15,050 per year or less
  • Child Tax Credit and you are not eligible for Working Tax Credit, and your income is £15,050 per year or less
  • Or be on a low income (you will need to make a claim under the NHS Low Income Scheme)


Would you like to see if you could be entitled to any of these benefits? Our Welfare Benefits Advisor, Millie can give you advice on what benefits you may be able to claim, and help you to claim them if you would like her to. Millie may also be able to calculate how much you could receive with these benefits. You can contact her either via our Customer Services Team on 0300 123 1222 where they can take your details and Millie will call you back, or via email info@muir.org.uk

Remember, it is your responsibility to notify the relevant benefit department of any changes in your circumstance to ensure you are still receiving the correct amount of benefit, to prevent any overpayments, or underpayments from occurring.