Claiming Benefits (Overview)

There are a different range of benefits that are supplied by the government in the UK, they are provided to people to increase opportunities and to offer support. Different benefits are provided by various different government departments and agencies. It is often the responsibility of an individual themselves to claim a benefit if they feel they are entitled to do so.

There are different benefits available for different people including people who are at the working age, people at pension age, for families and children and for disabled people and their carers. Making a claim from the relevant government department will ensure that claimants get what they are entitled to as quickly as possible.

The four sections of benefits are: benefits designed for people of working age, benefits created for people who have retired or plan to retire, benefits created in order to support families and children, and benefits for the support of disabled people and their partners.

Benefits for people of the working age include the jobseekers allowance, this is a payment that is made to people who are unemployed or working less than sixteen hours per week. The benefit is provided in order to support individuals whilst they are actively searching for work.

Income support is also provided to people who are working full time but they do not earn enough money to live off. In order to claim this a financial assessment must be carried out.

There are also benefits in place to support parents that are starting back at work or coming off benefits.

Benefits for people who are retiring or planning to retire generally comprise of the state pension. The basic state pension is paid to everybody within the UK who is of retirement age. How much people receive may be dependent upon their national insurance contributions that have been made throughout their working life.

There are a range of benefits that have been created for families in order to support the upbringing of children. The general benefit is child benefit which is provided to families in order to support the general upbringing, this is paid to families who have an income below a certain threshold. There are extra benefits available for children who have special needs, for those with lone parents and for families that are expecting a baby.

Benefits that available for the disable and their carers are also extensive, these may require some form of assessment. A disabled person may be entitled to disability living allowance to support their general routine or may be eligible for mobility allowance to help them getting around. Carers of disabled people are usually eligible for a weekly care allowance paid by the government.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/BeginnersGuideToBenefits/DG_4016266