Example 1Claimant is over 25 years of age, single without children, lives on their own in a Housing Association one-bedroom flat, and is receiving long-term Incapacity Benefit (IB) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) at the higher rate for the care component and the lower rate for the mobility component. They have savings of less than £6,000 and no other sources of income.The IS assessment starting point is - What is their 'applicable amount'? This is the maximum amount of IS you can get according to your own individual circumstances. It's made up of a basic 'personal allowance' and on top of this may be added 'premiums' for disability, carer status, etc. For the above example, the applicable amount would be made up like this:
Personal Allowance £67.50 (under-25s receive less)
Disability Premium £28.85 (paid if you are getting any rate of DLA, either component, or long-term IB)
Severe Disability Premium £55.30 (paid if you get middle or higher rate DLA care, you live alone and no-one is claiming
Carers' Allowance for you)
Disability Income
Guarantee £14.05 (paid if you get higher rate DLA care)
TOTAL £165.70From this total, the money that's coming in is deducted. In this case, it would be the IB only.
DLA is not taken into account as income for IS assessment purposes - you get DLA on top of any IS awardThis claimant receives £99.85 IB (long-term with a lower-rate age addition) So, £165.70 minus £99.85 = £65.85.
Therefore, the weekly IS award is £65.85. This claimant will also be paid full Housing Benefit (as they live in 'social housing' where rents are deemed to be eligible for HB purposes entirely) and also full Council Tax Benefit, simply because they qualify for IS - even if the amount payable is as low as 50p per week.
Please feel free to add other IS-related queries here
