Topic 2 - How The State Can Help Flashcards
how many of those over the age of 65 have no private income and are consequently dependent on basic state pension and other benefits
1.2million
state benefits are payable to anyone who is temporarily or permanently in need of financial help, designed as a safety net for those who…
have unexpectedly lost their main source of income
have a low level of income
are not able to earn an income
6 reasons why people tend to need benefits
redundancy lack of skills lack of experience lack of qualifications ill health/disability retirement
explain contributory benefits
paid to eligible claimants provided that they have paid the required national insurance contributions
define non-contributory benefits
for those who have not paid national insurance contributions or require a top up payment as contributory benefits do not meet income needs
define means testing
for income related benefits, involves a detailed examination of income, many people object to as they think it is too invasive of private lives
outline job seekers allowance (JSA)
for those of working age but not working full time but are available and trying to work
higher rate paid to those aged 25 plus
explain contributions based JSA
if employed for two tax years before claiming, and required amount of NICs paid, only paid for 6 months
explain income based JSA and differences to contributions based
for those unemployed or not paid required NICs
what are the conditions of full time students and JSA
cannot normally claim, with the exception of those who have children and may be able to claim during the summer break
what are the conditions of part time students and JSA
may be able to claim if they fulfil the eligibility requirements and are willing to give up course if they find a full time job
explain statutory sick pay (SSP)
employer has to pay at least SSP if you have been off sick for 4+ days
will be a fixed amount for a maximum of 28 weeks
not for the self employed or those not working
explain employment and support allowance (ESA)
if had SSP for 28 weeks or self employed, if illness/disability prevents you from working
either income or contributions based, depending on amount of NICs paid
how is is ESA paid at first
paid at a standard weekly benefit for the first 13 weeks (lower for those under 25
it is affected by income and savings
it is not paid at all if savings are more than £16000
after 13 weeks of ESA what happens if allocated to the ‘work related activity group’
for those whose illness/disability is not too severe to prevent them from returning to work, even if not the same work
have to attend regular meetings with advisers
failure to attend will result in reduced benefit (sanctioned)
allowed to work up to 16 hours a week and still claim as long as earnings are below the weekly limit
after 13 weeks of ESA what happens if allocated to the ‘support group’
when illness/disability severely limits work
not required at meetings but can talk to an adviser if necessary
can only work up to 16 hours a week but only ‘support permitted work’ which will be supervised by someone from the local council/voluntary organisation
what is used to determine how much illness affects ability to work
a ‘limited capability for work’ questionnaire and ‘work capability assessment’
what is personal independence payments (PIP)
for those aged 16-64 who have a long term illness/disability that means that they are unable to perform basic living activities or have limited mobility
what is attendance allowance
for those over 65
what do both PIP and attendance allowance provide for
to pay for things such as home help, cleaning services, mobility AIDS and taxis to help remain independent
what is the caters allowance for
for those over 16 who spend 35+ hours a week looking after someone who has substantial caring needs
it is taxable and may affect other benefits
what is the housing benefit for
for those on low incomes/unemployed to help with housing costs
conditions for a single person renting a property to still be eligible for the housing benefit
single and under the age of 35 can claim if they live in a beds it or a single room within a shared house/flat
why might the housing benefit not cover a full months rent
if paying unreasonably high rent to a private landlord
if In social housing and assessed to have more than necessary bedrooms
if household income is above a certain level
if have savings above £6000
what affects the amount of housing benefit received
your age
number and ages of children
disabilities within your family
what additional benefits may a person be eligible for
council tax and cold weather payments
what is cold weather payments
an additional £25 a week when temperature falls below 0* for 7 consecutive days
what is income support
for those not working/working less than 16 hours a week due to pregnancy/full time caring/single parent with child under 5 and not eligible for JSA or ESA
it is paid weekly and varies depending on age and circumstances and whether or not they have savings of £6000+
explain the state pension
a non-means-tested contributory benefit paid to everyone of state pension age and who has paid sufficient NICs
