Money Matters Checklist –Scotland
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MONEY MATTERS INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF DISABLED CHILDREN SCOTLAND TEMPORARY CHANGES DURING COVID-19 During the COVID-19 outbreak there are some temporary schemes offering additional support to working families adversely effected by the outbreak. This includes: • Self-Isolation Support Grant – a £500 payment for low income workers asked to self-isolate by the Test an Protect Service. • Self Employment Income Support Scheme – grants offering a percentage of average profits to self-employed people. • Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – better known as the furlough scheme. Government pays 80% of a worker’s wages for any hours they don’t work due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Scheme ends in September 2021. See our website for more details on these schemes and other benefits for those affected by COVID-19. “Know your rights – knowledge is power” Parent carer This guide covers Scotland. CONTENTS DISABILITY AND SICKNESS BENEFITS 4 CARER’S ALLOWANCE 7 WORKING TAX CREDIT 9 UNIVERSAL CREDIT 10 BENEFITS IF YOU’RE OUT OF FULL-TIME WORK 13 MONEY AND VOUCHERS FOR HAVING CHILDREN 14 AT SCHOOL 18 AT HOME 20 HELP WITH RENT, MORTGAGE AND COUNCIL TAX 23 TRANSPORT 26 GRANTS AND LOANS 29 OTHER HELP 30 Money Matters 3 DISABILITY & SICKNESS BENEFITS DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE (DLA) DLA is the main benefit for disabled children under the age of 16. It is there to help meet any extra costs of being disabled. Any ill or disabled child may be able to qualify, even those who don’t have a diagnosis. It is not means-tested, so your financial situation will not be taken into account. Getting DLA can sometimes lead to an increase in other benefits, or help families qualify for them if they don’t already get them. A child may qualify if: • they need extra care or supervision – they may qualify for the care component • they need help getting around – they may qualify for the mobility component. The higher rate of the mobility component can give access to the Motability Scheme to lease a car. If a child turns 16 on or after 1 September 2020 their DLA award shouldn’t stop at 16. Instead it should automatically be extended until the age of 18, as long as they continue to meet the normal rules. Once they turn 18 they will be invited to claim Personal Independence Payment. New claims for child DLA in Scotland will be replaced with a new benefit – the Child Disability Payment. This will be introduced with a pilot scheme in the local authority areas of Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles. In these three areas it will not be possible to make a new claim for DLA after 26 July 2021, with a claim for the Child Disability Payment being required instead. The new benefit will then be rolled out across the rest of Scotland from the 22 November 2021. 4 Money Matters Initially the Child Disability Payment will only replace new claims for DLA. Children who are already on DLA won’t be moved onto the new benefit until later and this will happen in stages. For more information visit our website to see our guides and factsheets about Claiming Disability Living Allowance for children Disability Living Allowance Helpline: 0800 121 4600 Textphone: 0800 121 4523 PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE PAYMENT (PIP) DLA for adults has been replaced by a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Like DLA it is not means-tested and it also has two types of payment – known as a mobility component and a daily living component. PIP has already replaced new claims for DLA by disabled adults. However, some existing DLA claimants are also automatically asked to claim PIP. If your child is on DLA and turns 16 on or after 1 September 2020 they won’t be asked to claim PIP until they are 18. Between the ages of 16 and 17 they can still choose to claim PIP instead of staying on DLA if they want. However, any young person considering this should seek detailed advice before doing so, as many disabled people are worse off on PIP. If your child turned 16 before 1 September 2020 they will be invited to claim PIP once they turn 16. If your child is aged 16 or above and does not already get DLA it is too late to claim DLA for the first time and they will need to apply for PIP instead. The government is also in the process of re-assessing all other existing adult DLA claimants under the PIP rules. Money Matters 5 New claims for PIP in Scotland will be replaced with a new benefit called the Adult Disability Payment. This is planned to start with a pilot scheme in spring 2022, before being fully rolled out across Scotland in Summer 2022. For more on PIP see our guide to Personal Independence Payment Personal Independence Payment Claim Line: 0800 917 2222 Textphone: 0800 917 7777 EMPLOYMENT & SUPPORT ALLOWANCE (ESA) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a benefit for people over 16 whose capacity for work is limited by their health problems. There are two types of ESA: contributory ESA, and income-related ESA. Most young people can no longer get Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and have to claim Universal Credit instead. Universal Credit has now replaced new claims for Income-related ESA. While new claims for contributory ESA can still be made, most young people won’t have worked and paid sufficient national insurance contributions to qualify. If your son or daughter does get ESA or Universal Credit, you cannot get tax credits or benefits for them as a dependent child. Contact our free helpline for more information on 0808 808 3555 email: [email protected] “Most new parents still don’t realise they can claim Disability Living Allowance for their child or Carer’s Allowance for themselves. Some feel they shouldn’t, others think their child won’t qualify. But it can make such a huge difference to families.” Parent carer 6 Money Matters CARER’S ALLOWANCE This is extra money for carers who care for someone who gets PIP daily living component at any rate or DLA care component at the middle or highest rate. Eligibility depends on the circumstances and weekly earnings of the carer. You can’t get Carer’s Allowance if you are a full time student, or if you work and earn more than £128 per week after deductions. If you are on Universal Credit and the only thing that stops you getting Carer’s Allowance is your earnings, you should still get an extra payment known as a carer addition as part of your Universal Credit award. Find out more in our Carer’s Allowance factsheet Carer’s Allowance Unit: 0800 731 0297 Textphone: 0800 731 0317 CARERS ALLOWANCE SUPPLEMENT Carers in Scotland who receive Carer’s Allowance also qualify for an additional supplementary lump-sum payment twice a year by the Scottish government. This is known as the Carer’s Allowance Supplement. You don’t need to apply for a Carer’s Allowance Supplement. Instead you should receive a payment automatically. If you think you should qualify but don’t receive a grant, contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 . If you’re a British Sign Language user, you can use the contactSCOTLAND app to contact Social Security Scotland by video relay. Money Matters 7 YOUNG CARERS GRANT 16, 17 and 18 year olds in Scotland who provide at least 16 hours a week care to someone who is receiving certain disability benefits can access a lump sum £305.10 once a year. A young person can only access a grant if they don’t get Carer’s Allowance. Apply for a Young Carer’s Grant or call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222. 8 Money Matters WORKING TAX CREDIT This is extra money for families with children where someone is working a required number of hours. This is 16 hours a week if you are a lone parent, or you are a couple and one partner works at least 16 hours and the other partner is entitled to Carer’s Allowance or is incapacitated. Most other couples with children need to work at least 24 hours to be eligible. The amount you get will depend on your circumstances and annual income, but there is no limit on the amount of savings you can have. For most people new claims for Working Tax Credit have been replaced by Universal Credit. However if you already get Child Tax Credit and you start working enough hours you can still start to get Working Tax Credit payments for the first time. Our website has more information about Working Tax Credit Tax Credits Helpline: 0345 300 3900 Textphone: 0345 300 3909 JOB START PAYMENT A new grant to help 16-24 year olds (25 if a care leaver) with the costs of moving into work from unemployment. It offers £250 (£400 for those with a child of their own). The young person must have been on certain benefits for at least 6 months to be eligible. More information about Job Start Payment from the Scottish government. Money Matters 9 UNIVERSAL CREDIT A new benefit called Universal Credit is replacing new claims for: • Income Support • income-based Jobseeker’s • Housing Benefit Allowance • Child Tax Credit • income-related Employment • Working Tax Credit and Support Allowance. These are known as the ‘legacy benefits’. Universal Credit is a means- tested benefit, so the amount you can get will depend on your income and capital as well as your other family circumstances.