Cash Help for 16 to 19 year olds and Their Parents
Young People in non-advanced education or training
Young students/ trainees aged 16 to 19 years count as ‘qualifying young people’ while undertaking full-time non-advanced education or approved training.
(Non-advanced education is up to HNC, highers etc…advanced education begins at HND, SVQ 4 etc.)
- Aged 16 to 19 on a full-time non-advanced course of over 12 hours per week. (also known as relevant education)
- Aged 16 to 19 on an approved training course. Eg Skillseekers
N.B. 19 year olds are only included if they start the course while under 19.
If someone is a qualifying young person, then their parent or other adult responsible for them can continue to claim benefits that include the young person as a dependent. EG child benefit, child tax credit, income support, jobseekers allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Approved training courses are Skillseekers, Get Ready for Work and Modern Apprenticeships, where they are not provided under a contract of employment.
A young person in ‘relevant education’ is still regarded as being a student during college/school holidays, as long as they are registered on another course (+for council tax benefit start). A few temporary interruptions are allowed. EG illness
After approved training or non-advanced education ends parents may continue to claim benefits for a fixed period.
- Excluded from 01 September after age 16:Parents can continue to claim benefits until 31 August following their child’s 16th birthday.
- Extension period: If a child leaves their course/approved training and registers with Careers Scotland, parents can continue to claim benefit for a further 20 weeks from the Monday after they stop. (Unless they reach their 18th birthday before then.)
- Terminal date: If neither of the above applies parents can continue to claim benefits until the next terminal date is reached. ie the last day in February, May, August or November. (NB Benefit stops if the young person reaches their 20th birthday before then.)
As we have seen, the parents of young people in relevant education are able to claim benefits for them. However in certain circumstances young people can claim Income Support for themselves instead. (The following list is not exhaustive)
Who can claim Income Support in relevant education?
- Any parent whose child lives with them.
- An orphan with no one (IE foster parent/local authority) acting in place of a parent
- Someone living away from parents because they are estranged, or at serious risk to their physical and mental health, or in physical or moral danger
- Someone living away from parents who cannot support them and the parents are sick, disabled, in prison, or are not allowed to enter Britain.
- A care leaver who has to live away from parents or anyone acting in their place. But if aged 16 or 17, a care leaver in relevant education can only get Income Support if a lone parent or disabled.
- Someone entitled to disability premium or severe disability premium (get DLA, IB long term, or are blind)
Recent DWP case law has decided that estrangement does not need to be mutual, although it depends on the circumstances of the case.
Guidance states that the young person should be believed, unless their statement is self contradictory or inherently improbable.
* Claims from this group should not be delayed when transferring between JSA and Income Support. |
