Social Security Benefits

[Janbuck]

No sure if this is right section but can someone tell me the difference between Social Security Benefits such as Incapacity Benefit and Income Support

[Ethel]

Incapacity Benefit if you have been too ill to work for more than six months.

Income Support if your income is below the threshold.

[Janbuck]

ethel Thank you for your answer

[Ethel]

A huge difference is that Incapacity Benefit is not means tested - everyone who has paid sufficient National Insurance contributions is entitled to it, provided they meet the ill-health criteria.

Income support is means tested - too much money in the bank, or too much income, and you can't get it.

[THECORBYLOON]

Sorry to correct you Ethel, but Incapacity Benefit can be paid after three days' incapacity.

Incapacity Benefit (IB) is a National Insurance (NI) Contribution based benefit whilst Income Support (IS) isn't and IS is called a means tested benefit whilst IB is a non-means tested benefit.

If a benefit is means teated, it is dependant upon yir income (which includes savings, shares, Premium Bonds etc) being below a level set by Parliament.

[THECORBYLOON]

To be strictly accurate, IB can be paid after two days' incapacity in certain circumstances.

[Ethel]

Thanks for the correction. :)

I wrongly believed it was Statutory Sick Pay for the first 28 weeks of sickness or incapacity, and then Incapacity Benefit.

[THECORBYLOON]

Nae bother, I work for Jobcentre Plus and used to work on the Incapacity Benefit section as one of the Raters (the ones who award benefit) and as a Supervisor. If you are employed, IB is normally paid following 28 weeks' SSP but it can be paid earlier if the SSP ends for various reasons.

Self-employed folk don't qualify for SSP because they are not classed as employed earners so they can get the IB after three days (or two as said earlier.)

There's a lot of mis-conceptions about the various benefits and I'd hate for someone to miss out because of wrong info they've read here.