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Benefits

Free Benefits Check
Benefits Quick Guide
Challenging Benefit Decisions
Help with Forms
What happens to your benefits in a care home?
Types of Benefit

Benefit income is taken into account in financial assessment for care services.  It is important that you check that you are receiving all the benefit income that you may be entitled to.

Free Benefits Check

You can telephone or drop in at your local Citizens Advice Bureau and ask for a free benefits check.  They may be able to provide a home visit if you have difficulty getting to their offices.  They can also help with filling in claim forms and with money advice.

You can also learn more about benefits on the Adviceguide - Scotland website.

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Challenging Benefit Decisions

A decision about benefits must be challenged in writing within 28 days from the date on which the notification was sent to you. This deadline may be extended by 14 days if you request a written statement of reasons for the decision.

If you wish to challenge a decision about benefits, you should consult an independent Welfare Rights specialist. 

For further information, contact the Citizens Advice Bureau.

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Help with Forms

The Citizens Advice Bureau can also help with filling in benefit claim forms.  You can find your local branch of the Citizen's Advice Bureau in your Phone Book or on their website.


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What happens to my benefits if I go into a care home?

The main benefits affected by admission to care are

  • Pension Credit
  • Housing Benefit
  • Council Tax Benefit
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance

 

If you move into a care home, you need a new benefits check as your circumstances have changed.

Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance Care Component

  • Attendance Allowance and the Disability Living Allowance Care Component are suspended after a period of 28 days in a Care Home unless you are 'self-funding' (ie meeting the whole cost of accommodation and personal care ). In this case you can continue to receive AA or DLA care component.
  • Entitlement to Attendance and Disability Living Allowance continues even though the payment is suspended.
  • The Disability Living Allowance Mobility Component is not withdrawn
  • Separate periods in a Care Home that are separated by 28 days or less are linked together as though they were one period
  • Periods in hospital also count towards the 28 days if linked by periods of 28 days or less
  • The day that a person enters or leaves hospital or a Care Home counts as a day at home.

 

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Types of Benefit


Pension Credit
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Attendance Allowance /Disability Living Allowance
Carer's Allowance

Pension Credit

Pension Credit is a means-tested tax-free payment for people who have reached, or are over, the state pension age for a woman of the client's age.  It is made up of two parts:

  • Guarantee Credit to top up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level.
  • Savings Credit is an extra amount for people aged 65 or over who have saved some money towards their retirement, such as savings or a second pension. If part of a couple, this can be paid when either partner reaches 65  You can get the Savings Credit on top of the Guarantee Credit.


If eligible, you may receive one or both elements

Find out more about Pension Credit on the Direct.gov website

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is to help people on a sufficiently low income pay some or all of their rent  How much you get will depend, among other things, on your income and savings, age, personal and family circumstances and how much rent you pay. You do not have to be getting any other benefits to get this.

Find out more about Housing Benefit on the Direct.gov website.

 

Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit is to help people on a sufficiently low income pay some or all of their Council Tax. 

Help with Council Tax can come in the form of

  • Council Tax Benefit
  • Disability Reduction
  • Exemption
  • Discounts

 

Find out more about Council Tax Benefit on the Direct.gov website.

 

Attendance Allowance/Disability Living Allowance

You cannot receive both Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance. The age at which you apply determines which benefit you receive and Disability Living Allowance has a wider range of payment rates.

  • Attendance Allowance (AA) is for people aged 65 and over who have care needs
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is for people aged under 65 when they first claim and have either care or mobility needs.

 

People who claim DLA before they reach 65 can continue to receive it after they are 65.  If they are already in receipt of either component (care and/or mobility) they will continue to receive this. However, if they are only in receipt of the care component, they cannot now make a claim for the mobility component.

Both AA and DLA are

  • Tax-free
  • Non-contributory
  • Non-means tested

 

They are paid to people who who meet specific criteria and are assessed as having:

  • Need help with personal care or who require supervision
  • Have mobility problems (DLA only)

 

The benefits are paid regardless of whether or not they are used to pay for care or mobility needs and are are a reflection of the fact that living with disability or mobility problems can mean a higher cost of living.

Find out more about  Attendance Allowance on the Direct.gov website.

Find out more about  Disability Living Allowance on the Direct.gov website.

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Carers Allowance

See our page on Carers Allowance.

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last updated 16/05/2012