Social security benefits are complicated, and the government are making a number of reforms at present. You should seek expert advice from an adviser if you’re unsure – see Where can I find more information?
This topic contains the following:
Can I claim benefits to help pay the rent?
You may be able to claim Housing Benefit from the government to help pay the rent where you normally live during term time. If you live in shared accommodation you can get help for your share of the rent only. If you live with your partner, either of you can claim, but not both. The amount of Housing Benefit you get depends on your income, and any student funding you get (eg grants and loans) may be taken into account.
The rules about whether you can claim are complicated, but here’s a brief guide to student eligibility. You can claim Housing Benefit if:
- Your savings are less than £16,000.
- You’re not an asylum seeker.
- You’re studying on a part-time course, unless you live in university-owned accommodation (eg halls of residence), in which case you can only claim if you’d be entitled to claim as a full-time student – for example, you’re disabled, have children, get income-related benefits, or qualify for Pension Credit.
If you’re taking a full-time course (designated as full-time by your college or university) you can’t usually claim Housing Benefit. However, you may be able to claim if you’re:
- Under 19 years old, living away from your parental home and studying full-time for a course that isn’t classed as ‘higher education’.
- 19 or 20 years old, living away from your parental home and studying full-time to finish a course that isn’t classed as ‘higher education’, which you began before you were 19.
- Disabled.
- Responsible for a child (either on your own or with a partner).
- Getting income-related benefits (eg Income Support).
- Getting Pension Credit or you qualify for it.
If you’re from outside the UK and you’re here to study, you can’t usually claim Housing Benefit, and even if you’re entitled to, it might affect your right to stay in the UK. Contact the UK Council for International Student Affairs for information and advice.
Here’s the government’s information about Housing Benefit. For more about what counts as ‘higher education’, see Funding for higher education overview.
Housing Benefit will be replaced by Universal Credit, starting later in 2013. See What is Universal Credit?
Can I claim benefits to supplement my income?
If your income is low and you work less than 16 hours a week in paid employment you may be able to claim Income Support from the government. The amount of Income Support you get depends on your income, which includes any student funding you get (eg grants and loans).
The rules about whether you can claim are complicated, but here’s a brief guide to student eiligibility. You can claim Income Support if:
- You’re at least 16 years old.
- Your savings are less than £16,000.
- Neither you nor your partner work full-time in paid employment.
- You’re studying on a part-time course and you’re a lone parent, disabled or don’t get support from your parents.
If you’re taking a full-time course you can’t usually claim Income Support during term time or the vacations. However, there are some exceptions (eg if you’re a single parent with a child under the age of five), and if you’re under 20 years old and not taking a course of higher education you may be able to claim, depending on your circumstances.
If you’re from outside the UK and you’re here to study, you can’t usually claim Income Support, and even if you’re entitled to, it might affect your right to stay in the UK. Contact the UK Council for International Student Affairs for information and advice.
Here’s the government’s information about Income Support.
Income Support will be replaced by Universal Credit, starting later in 2013. See What is Universal Credit?
Can I claim benefits while I’m looking for work?
If you’re available and looking for work you may be able to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance. This is a weekly payment to help you while you’re looking for work.
The rules about whether you can claim are complicated, so ask at your local Jobcentre Plus for more information (or your local Social Security or Jobs and Benefits Office if you live in Northern Ireland). As a brief guide, you can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance if:
- You’re at least 18 years old but younger than the state pension age (in a few exceptional circumstances 16 and 17 year olds can also claim).
- You’re studying on a part-time course and are available and looking for work. Some restrictions apply, however, and if and your course hours fall within your ‘pattern of availability’ for work, you may be required to give up your course to take up available employment.
If you’re taking a full-time course you can’t usually claim Jobseeker’s Allowance during term time or the vacations. However, there are some exceptions (eg if you’re a single parent or you’re one of a student couple with children) – but you may only be able to claim during the long vacation.
If you’re from outside the UK and you’re here to study, you can’t usually claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, and even if you’re entitled to, it might affect your right to stay in the UK. Contact the UK Council for International Student Affairs for information and advice.
Here’s the government’s information about Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance will be replaced by Universal Credit, starting later in 2013. See What is Universal Credit?
I’m a disabled student – what extra benefits can I claim?
If you’re disabled you may be able to claim a range of benefits from the government, including Disability Living Allowance, to help with costs you incur as a result of your disability if you’re under 65 years old. From April 2013 this will be replaced by the similar Personal Independence Payment, which is available for people aged between 16 and 64. If you’re 65 years old or older, you can claim Attendance Allowance.
Being a student doesn’t usually affect your right to claim, and how much you get doesn’t depend on your income, so any student funding you get isn’t taken into account. This means you should apply for any extra student funding that’s available to help you with your disability as well as the government’s standard disability benefits.
You may be able to apply for Employment and Support Allowance, which helps people who are unable to work or have difficulties. You may be eligible for this if you’re a part-time student and your illness or disability affects your ability to work while you study, or you’re a full-time student and get the Disability Living Allowance. The amount you get may depend on your income and your National Insurance contributions. Income-related Employment and Support Allowance will be replaced by Universal Credit, starting later in 2013. See What is Universal Credit?
Here’s the government’s information about Financial help if you're disabled. Also, if you’re taking a course of further or higher education, have a look at:
I’m about to or have just become a student parent – what extra benefits can I claim?
You may be able to claim benefits from the government to help support you if you’re about to become a parent or you’ve recently become one. Full- and part-time students can claim these benefits if they’re applicable.
If you’re employed (eg you’re working part-time while you study) and you’ve just given birth or are within 11 weeks of giving birth, you may be able to get Statutory Maternity Pay from your employer. You get a percentage of your usual weekly earnings for up to 39 weeks. If you’re not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (eg because you’re self-employed or recently left work) you may be able to claim Maternity Allowance from the government instead. Here’s the government’s information about Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance.
If you’re employed and your wife, partner or civil partner gives birth or adopts a child, you may be able to claim Ordinary Statutory Paternity from your employer. You get a payment each week for up to two consecutive weeks, plus extra if your partner returns to work. Here’s the government’s information about paternity pay.
If you’re employed and you’re adopting a child you can get Statutory Adoption Pay from your employer. You get a payment each week for up to 39 weeks. Here’s the government’s information about Statutory Adoption Pay.
I’m a student parent – what extra benefits can I claim?
If you’re responsible for a child under 16 years old (or under 20 years old and they’re in full-time education or training that’s approved by the government) you may be able to claim Child Benefit from the government. You get a weekly amount for each child. If you’re under 20 years old and in full-time education, someone (eg your parent) may be able to claim Child Benefit for you.
You can apply for Child Benefit whether you’re a full- or part-time student, and any student funding you get isn’t taken into account when working out what you’re entitled to. This means you should apply for any extra student funding that’s available to help you support your children as well as the government’s standard disability benefits.
Here’s the government’s information about Child Benefit. Also, if you’re taking a course of further or higher education, have a look at:
I’m a carer – what extra benefits can I claim?
If you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone with substantial caring needs, and that person claims benefits related to their needs (eg Attendance Allowance), you may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance from the government. You get a weekly amount, which is taxable and may affect your other benefits. However, any student funding you get isn’t taken into account.
You can’t claim if you’re a full-time student, or a part-time students studying for 21 hours a week or more (this includes supervised study and things like coursework and experiments, not just time spent with a tutor).
Here’s the government’s information about Carer’s Allowance.
What other government benefits are available?
You may be entitled to further government benefits, depending on your circumstances. Some of these are only available if you’re already getting other benefits or tax credits. Being a student may affect whether you’re eligible to apply – however, any student funding you get isn’t taken into account when working out what you’re entitled to.
You may be entitled to these benefits if you meet the qualifying conditions:
- Funeral Payments – help towards the costs of a funeral you’re arranging, which is usually paid back from the deceased person’s estate (if they have one).
- Cold Weather Payments – extra money if your local temperature is (or is forecast to be) an average of zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days.
- Winter Fuel Payment – extra money to help you pay your heating bills if you were born on or before 5 July 1951.
You may be able to apply for the following benefits, but they’re discretionary, which means there’s no guarantee that you’ll get anything, even if you meet the qualifying conditions:
- Community Care Grant – a grant that you don’t need to pay back to help you return to the community after being in care, stay in your home rather than go into care, care for a prisoner or young offender when they leave prison on temporary licence or pay for some travel expenses (eg going to a family funeral or visiting someone who’s ill).
- Budgeting Loan – an interest-free loan to help you pay for essential things like rent, furniture, clothes or hire purchase debts.
- Crisis Loan – an interest-free loan to help with essential costs after an emergency or disaster, (eg a flood or fire in your home).
What is Universal Credit?
Universal Credit is a major change to the way social security works. It will be introduced in spring 2013, beginning in some parts of the country, and then become national from autumn.
Universal Credit will eventually replace a number of benefits and tax credits with one payment. The benefits that will be replaced include Housing Benefit, Income Support, income-based Jobseekers’ Allowance and income-based Employment and Support Allowance.
Most full-time students won’t be able to claim Universal Credit, but there will be exceptions to this rule, as with the current system.
NUS will provide more detail on student entitlement when information becomes available. Meanwhile, here’s the government information on Universal Credit.
Is there a limit to the amount of benefits I can claim?
From April 2013 the government is introducing a benefits cap, which means that the combined amount of all the benefits you get is capped at a maximum amount. The cap doesn’t affect the entire country at once, but by September 2013 it will. The amounts you get from disability-related benefits aren’t included when calculating the capped amount (eg Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance). Your benefits aren’t capped if you claim Working Tax Credit.
Here’s the government’s information about the benefit cap. Also, take a look at What tax credits can I get as a student?
Where can I find more information?
Here are some resources to help you find more information about benefits:
- You can use the government’s online benefits adviser to estimate what benefits you may be entitled to.
- Turn2us is a charitable service that helps people access the money available to them – through welfare benefits, grants and other help.
- The Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland produces a number of factsheets on student entitlement to benefits.
- The National Care Advisory Service provides information for people who are in, or who have left, care.
You may be able to get specialist benefits advice from your university, college or students’ union advice centre or your local citizen’s advice bureau.
This information was updated in March 2013. NUS provides this information in good faith and has taken care to make sure it’s accurate. However, student finance issues can be complicated, and rules change frequently. You should contact the advice centre in your students' union, college or university for support if you’re uncertain or need more help.