Benefits System

This post was updated on 26 April 2023 You can download a PDF of this information This information is about people who are… Read More > "Working While You Live in a Hostel, Refuge or Supported Accommodation."

A couple of days ago, I injured my left foot. It’s a trivial injury and I’m confident that it will heal in a… Read More > "My Left Foot"

The purpose of PIP is to enable someone who has a disability to live, as far as possible, the life they wish to… Read More > "PIP Points"

Carer’s Allowance – 35 Hours If you spend 35 or more hours each week caring for someone who gets PIP-Daily-Living, or Attendance Allowance,… Read More > "National Insurance: Carer’s Credits"

A pension pot is an amount of money that is held under a personal pension scheme. The value of this fund is disregarded… Read More > "Pension Pots and Universal Credit"

Employment and Support Allowance is a benefit for people whose illness or disability means that they have Limited Capability for Work If you… Read More > "ESA: Old-Style / New-Style"

The PIP Scoring System PIP Daily Living Component is assessed by scoring your ability to do ten activities: Making a simple cooked one-course… Read More > "PIP: What They Need To Know About You"

Local Housing Allowances If you are a private-renter there is a ceiling on the amount of rent that can be counted when the… Read More > "Domestic Abuse & Modern Slavery: New Exceptions To The Shared-Accommodation-LHA"

Housing Benefit Claims and Delays Since the introduction of Universal Credit you can only make a new claim for Housing Benefit if: You… Read More > "Housing Benefit: Interim Payments on Account"

Usually, to claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Costs Element for a property you must occupy the accommodation as your home. But… Read More > "Housing Benefit: Overlaps and Run-Ons for Notice Period"

You cannot claim Universal Credit if you are:  Aged 16-19, doing a course of A-level standard or below, for more than 12 hours… Read More > "UC and Education"

PIP is assessed by scoring the care needs and mobility difficulties that arise from your illnesses or disabilities. One of the activities that… Read More > "PIP – Engaging With Other People Face-To-Face"

It’s often the case that people who have alcohol or drug addictions get an unsympathetic hearing from PIP assessors, Decision Makers and sometimes… Read More > "PIP and Alcohol and Drug Addiction"

Following the introduction of Universal Credit, Housing Benefit was generally closed for new claims by people under pension age. However the rules that… Read More > "The Legal Definition of Specified Accommodation"

If you claim Universal Credit you get a Standard Allowance in the calculation. This is: £257.33 per month if you are single and… Read More > "The History of the Standard Allowance"

The Severe Disability Premium The SDP is not a separate benefit. It’s an extra bit of Income Support, Income-related ESA or Income-based JSA… Read More > "The Transitional SDP Element"

This blog post is for welfare rights technical nerds Here is a word file of an annotated extract from the The Universal Credit… Read More > "The Law of Universal Credit Migration"

Supersessions If you have a benefit claim up and running, a supersession is the legal process for changing your award if something about… Read More > "Changes of Circumstances – Universal Credit Supersessions"

Couples’ Claims for Means-Tested Benefits In couple claims for iESA, iJSA, IS, and HB one partner makes the claim, which covers both. In… Read More > "Mixed-Age-Couples"