Let's Talk About Money

Benefits

Are you claiming all the benefits you are entitled to?

Are you claiming all the benefits you are entitled to? And what about any grants?
For offenders, the discharge Form B79 can help you prove your identity and therefore claim benefits quickly.
Any grant or benefit will depend on whether you are on:

remand;
supervised attendance orders;
community disposal; and
home detention curfew (electronically tagged).

Some general tips for you as an offender and your family or carer

You must let the relevant benefit authorities know the date when you are sentenced, then again the date you are released.

If you are under 17 you should contact the Connexions or Careers Service when you are released.

If you are released without being sentenced to imprisonment or detention you should receive any arrears of non-means-test benefits to which you are entitled.

Ensure you have been credited with any National Insurance (NI) contributions to which you are entitled.

If you are released following the quashing of a conviction you are entitled to National Insurance credits for the period you were wrongly imprisoned.

In some cases your family can claim a benefit which is not available to you. They are not able to claim for the offender as part of the family either.

Please note, as an offender you may be subject to benefit sanctions if you have been convicted of two benefit offences in three years. The information in the following table was right at the time of printing but is subject to change.

	What is it?	How do I apply?	Any other information?
Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)	A benefit for people aged 18 and over if they are not in paid work or are working less than 16 hours a week and looking for work.	Telephone 0800 055 6688 to make a claim. If there is a Jobcentre Plus adviser in your prison try to arrange an interview with them before your release.	There are two types of Jobseekers Allowance – contribution based and income based.
Income Support (IS)	A benefit for people who can’t claim Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) because they are not able to look for work. This could be if you are a lone parent responsible for a child under 12 years of age, or a carer. If you COUNT as a prisoner you are not entitled to IS apart from housing costs which are payable for up to 52 weeks whilst you are on remand, awaiting trial or sentenced.	By telephone to Jobcentre Plus. 0800 055 6688.	A person on remand, parole or sentenced does need to check if they COUNT. A prisoner is not a member of the family for IS purposes. If you are a prisoner, your partner can claim benefit as a single person or lone parent. If your partner or child is a prisoner, you can no longer claim IS for him/her. As IS is generally paid in arrears you may need to apply for an interim payment or Social Fund Crisis Loan to meet your initial expenses.
Housing Benefit (HB)	If you are serving a custodial sentence you are entitled to HB for up to 13 weeks as long as your absence from home is unlikely to exceed 13 weeks. If you are serving a sentence of more than 13 weeks you may still be entitled to HB if you are expected to be released within 123 weeks. This may also include being released early under home detention curfew (electronic tagging). You are treated as serving a custodial sentence during periods of temporary release (unless you are released under an intermittent custody order). These periods therefore count towards the 13 weeks for which HB is payable. Also you can continue to receive HB for up to four weeks if you still have to pay rent and you could not reasonably have avoided doing so.		If you are no longer entitled to IS or income-based JSA you will need to make a new claim for HB. If you are no longer entitled to HB your partner or other person occupying your home may be able to claim benefit as a liable person. A prisoner continues to count as a member of the claimant’s family as long as s/he is unlikely to be away for substantially longer than 52 weeks. Nondependent deductions are not made in respect of a non-dependant who is a prisoner.
Discharge Grant	If you have been in prison for 15 days or more you will get a discharge grant on release.	Your prison should give you a form about two weeks before release to sign to get the grant.	If you need to pay housing costs in advance, an extra £50 may be available – it will be sent direct to the landlord (speak to your personal officer or a member of the resettlement team). This counts as capital for IS/income-based JSA purposes, i.e. it is not in addition to IS/JSA
Community Care Grant (CCG)	A grant for items like furniture, household equipment and clothing (but not clothes for interviews or work). If you are released on temporary licence somebody caring for you can claim CCG for living expenses.	You can apply to Jobcentre Plus up to 6 weeks before your release date, as long as you will be claiming IS or income-based JSA on release.	You are not automatically entitled to this and if there isn’t enough money you will be turned down (first come, first served). You can apply for CCG if you are or expect to be in receipt of IS or income-based JSA.
Crisis Loan	You may be able to get this if your Discharge Grant has run out and you are waiting for benefits.	Claims will generally be taken over the telephone; contact your local Jobcentre for the telephone number for your area.	You will need to pay this back. It is again dependent on the funds available at the time of your application. The maximum value of a crisis loan award is £1,500.
Child Tax Credit	A means-tested tax credit to support families with children.	HM Revenue & Customs deals with this. It is paid on top of child benefit. You call the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900 to get a claim form and to get further information. You claim Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit on the same claim form.	The amount paid depends on the number of children you have and your household income. You can claim whether or not you are in work. There are extra amounts for children who have a disability.
Working Tax Credit	A means-tested tax credit for working adults on low incomes, including those who do not have children.	HM Revenue & Customs deals with this. It is paid on top of child benefit. You call the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900 to get a claim form and to get further information. You claim Working Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit on the same claim form.	The amount paid depends on the number of children you have and your household income. You can claim whether or not you are in work. There are extra amounts for children who have a disability.
Pension Credit	Pension credit is for people aged 60* and over who are living in Great Britain. It could top up your weekly income to a uaranteed minimum level. If you are 65 and over and have saved towards your retirement you could receive extra money too. If you are a prisoner you are NOT entitled to the guarantee credit or the savings credit. If you are on remand awaiting trial or sentence, you are entitled to housing costs for up to 52 weeks and you may be entitled to arrears of the severe disability addition if you do not receive a sentence of imprisonment and you are awarded arrears of attendance allowance or disability living allowance. *The age you can get Pension Credit will rise from 60 to 65 by 2020. It’s linked to the changes to women’s State Pension age.	You can apply over the phone by calling 0800 991 234. You will need to give them your National Insurance number.	You are no longer treated as a member of a couple if you or your partner is in prison.