RNID: For deaf and hard of hearing people.

factsheet iconBenefits and services factsheet

About this factsheet

This factsheet is part of RNID's benefits range. It is written for deaf people. We use the term 'deaf people' to refer to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people throughout this factsheet.

Read this factsheet to find out:

Most of the information in this factsheet will apply to you wherever you live in the UK. However, if you live in Northern Ireland, we advise you to call the Benefit Enquiry Line for Northern Ireland (opens new browser window) for further advice. You can also contact RNID Northern Ireland. If you live in Scotland or Wales you may also wish to contact RNID Cymru or RNID Scotland for more local advice.

What is meant by part-time and full-time work?

  • Part-time work is work you do for fewer than 16 hours a week.
  • Full-time work is work you do for 16 hours or more a week.

If you receive income support or jobseeker's allowance your partner can work part-time for up to 24 hours.

What happens if I come off benefits?

If you are thinking about doing any kind of work, it may affect any benefits you are getting. A 'better-off calculation' can help you decide whether you will be better or worse off if you move into work. It can also help you understand how your benefits will be affected by paid work and whether you may be entitled to any Tax Credits. This can help you decide whether to work part-time or full-time. Ask your adviser how moving into work will affect concessions such as free prescriptions, eye tests, dental treatment and school meals for your children.

To arrange a better-off calculation, contact:

  • Jobcentre Plus
  • Job Broker – New Deal for Disabled People
  • BEL, if you are claiming a disability-related benefit or are a carer.
  • Local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
  • a local welfare rights advice agency.

Claiming a job grant

A job grant is a tax-free one-off payment paid when you come off benefit and start full-time work. You must have been receiving Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Incapacity Benefit (IB), Income Support (IS) or Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) for at least 26 weeks before starting work, and the job must be expected to last for at least five weeks. A job grant is normally only paid to people over 25, but if you have a disability you can get a job grant from the age of 16. The amount of the job grant is:

  • £250 if you have children
  • £100 if you do not have children.

For more information, contact your local Jobcentre Plus.

Extended payments of housing costs

If you start full-time work and come off IS, income-based JSA, IB or SDA you can receive an extended payment of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for the first four weeks after you start work. If you have a mortgage and your IS or JSA included help with your mortgage costs, you can continue to receive this help for four weeks. 

Your Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or mortgage interest will be paid at the same rate as they were when you were on benefit for the extended payment period. You must have been receiving IS, JSA, IB or SDA for at least 26 weeks to get an extended payment (also known as a 'run-on'). 

After four weeks, your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will be reduced to take account of the earnings you receive from your job. You cannot receive any further help with your mortgage costs after the four-week extended payment period ends.

Can I still get some benefits if I am working?

If you are working at least 16 hours a week and on low earnings, you may be able to claim Working Tax Credit. The amount you receive will depend on your earnings and your other circumstances.

You can get some benefits whether or not you are working. Your earnings do not affect the amount you get. These benefits are: 

  • Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance
  • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
  • State retirement pensions
  • Bereavement Benefits (previously called Widows Benefits)
  • Child Benefit.

There are other benefits you can get whether you are working or not, such as:

  • Child Tax Credit
  • Council Tax Benefit
  • Housing Benefit
  • Pension Credit (if you are aged over 60).

The amount you receive will be affected by your earnings.

There are other benefits that you can only get if you are not working or only working part-time. These are: 

  • Incapacity Benefit
  • Income Support (there are special rules for Income Support and disabled workers explained below)
  • Severe Disablement Allowance
  • Carer's Allowance.

We look at some of these in more detail below.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

If you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA), it is paid because you need attention or supervision because of your deafness or other disability. It should not be reduced if you start work. You may be able to ask for an increase in DLA if you need more help to communicate with other people at work.
See our factsheet "Disability Living Allowance (opens new browser window)". 

Carer's Allowance

You can claim Carer's Allowance if you are looking after someone who receives Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance care component at the middle or higher rate. You must be looking after them for at least 35 hours a week, and it does not matter if you are also disabled or incapable of work.

You cannot claim Carer's Allowance if you are in full-time education (21 hours a week or more). You can work and claim Carer's Allowance but it will not be paid for any week in which you earn £87 or more. If you earn less than this, your Carer's Allowance is not affected.

Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit

Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit are for people who are responsible for at least one child or qualifying young person. They are paid whether you are working or on benefits, but the amount of Child Tax Credit you get may be reduced because of your earnings.

Working Tax Credit

Working Tax Credit is for people who are employed or self-employed, who:

  • usually work 16 hours or more a week
  • are paid for that work, and
  • expect to work for at least four weeks.

You must also be:

  • aged 16 or over and responsible for at least one child, or
  • aged 16 or over and have a physical or mental disability that puts you at a disadvantage in getting a job, and qualify for a disability element in your Working Tax Credit calculation.
  • aged 50 or over, and you or your partner have recently been getting one of a number of specified benefits for at least six months before starting work.
  • aged 25 or over and usually work at least 30 hours a week.

If you are deaf or have another disability your Working Tax Credit entitlement may include an extra amount for disability. 

Your Working Tax Credit will include another extra amount if you work for 30 hours a week or more. To find out more, contact the Tax Credits Helpline.

The amount of Tax Credits you get will depend on your yearly income. Any Tax Credits you receive during the 2008-2009 tax year will be a provisional award based either on an estimate of your current income or your income from the 2007-2008 tax year. Your final award for 2008-2009 can only be calculated when your actual income for that period is known. If you have been paid too much Tax Credit in one year, your award for the following year will be reduced.

Can I claim Income Support if I am in part-time work?

Yes, but rates and conditions vary. If you work up to 16 hours a week you can earn up to £20 a week without it affecting your Income Support – if you are getting a disability premium in your Income Support. If you earn more than £20, your Income Support will be reduced. For example, if you earn £30 per week your Income Support will be reduced by £10.

Can I claim Income Support if I am in full-time work?

Not usually. It is unlikely that you will be able to make a claim if you or your partner are in full-time paid employment. However, there are some exceptions, including situations where you work fewer hours or receive less pay because of your disability:

  • You earn 75% or less than someone without a disability would be reasonably expected to earn if they worked the same number of hours in your type of job.
  • You work 75%, or fewer, of the number of hours that someone without  a disability would realistically be expected to do in your type of job.

You will have to declare any earnings you get and they will be taken away from the amount of Income Support you are entitled to. The first £20 of what you earn will not be taken away from your Income Support if you are getting a disability premium in your Income Support.

Can I work if I am claiming benefits?

Possibly. If you are claiming benefits because you are incapable of work, there are special rules that allow you to do some types of work and still get benefits.

Work you can do

If you claim benefit because you are incapable of work, this means you get one of the following:

  • Incapacity Benefit
  • Income Support 
  • National Insurance Credits
  • Severe Disablement Allowance

If you receive these benefits then the only types of work you can do are voluntary, permitted or permitted supported work:

Voluntary work

You can do any amount of voluntary work while you get benefits. However, if you are getting JSA, you must be ready to take up paid employment if a job becomes available.

Permitted work

There are four types of permitted work. You can do one of the following at any one time:

  • work and earn up to £20 a week. This is called the permitted work lower limit. You can carry on doing this work for as long as you like
  • work for up to 16 hours a week and earn up to £88.50 a week. This is called the permitted work higher limit. You are only allowed to do this work for up to 52 weeks (one year)
  • work for up to 16 hours a week and earn up to £88.50 a week, if you are exempt from the personal capability assessment because you have a severe medical condition, or there is medical evidence that you have a severe medical condition
  • carry out Supported Permitted Work, which is work supervised by someone who is working for a local or public authority, or a voluntary organisation. You can earn up to £88.50 a week.

Permitted work does not affect the amount of Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance you get, but your Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit may be reduced because of your earnings. 

If you are getting a disability premium in your Income Support, Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Benefit, you can keep the first £20 of your earnings, but if you earn more than £20, this will reduce your benefit. If you are still entitled to get some Income Support, then the amount of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit you get will not be affected.

Work Trials

A Work Trial gives you the chance to try out a job if you are worried about whether it will work out.  Your benefits will not be affected during this trial period. For details, contact your local Jobcentre Plus (opens new browser window).

Can I re-claim benefits if my job stops?

If you are thinking about working, find out if you will be able to re-claim any of the benefits you currently get if your job does not work out. A number of schemes provide protection, including:

  • 104 week benefit protection
  • the two-year linking rules
  • rapid re-claim.

104 week benefit protection

If you have been on benefits because you are incapable of work, and you stop claiming to take up work or training, you may qualify for 104 week benefit protection. This means that if you stop work or training within 104 weeks of starting, and you need to claim a benefit again because you are incapable of work, you can reclaim your benefit at the same rate as before. The benefits that are covered include:

  • Severe Disablement Allowance, which was abolished for new claimants in April 2001, but some people may still be getting it
  • short-term higher-rate Incapacity Benefit and long-term Incapacity Benefit, without having to serve the qualifying period again
  • Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. You will qualify for the disability premium paid with these benefits, without having to serve the qualifying period again
  • tax-free Incapacity Benefit, if you were on Incapacity Benefit before 1995
  • Incapacity Benefit without a reduction for an occupational pension, if you were on Incapacity Benefit before April 2001
  • entitlement to mortgage interest or other housing costs as part of your Income Support, without having to serve a waiting period.

You qualify for 104 week benefit protection if you:

  • were incapable of work for more than 196 days in your last period of incapacity for work
  • cease to be entitled to benefit on the grounds of incapacity for work
  • start paid work within a month of ceasing to be entitled to benefit. This includes taking part in a training scheme for unemployed people such as Work Based Training For Adults (WBLA).

Two-year linking rules

These rules are different to 104 week benefit protection (see above). If you have been receiving short-term Incapacity Benefit, long-term Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance, and you stop claiming to start work, you may be able to re-claim your old rate of benefit if you stop work within two years of coming off benefit.

You must have been getting Working Tax Credit with a disability element in the last week of work, and this must have been on the basis of your previous entitlement to higher rate short-term Incapacity Benefit or long-term Incapacity Benefit.

Alternatively, if you stop receiving higher rate short-term Incapacity Benefit or long-term Incapacity Benefit, and start WBLA, you may be able to re-claim your old rate of Incapacity Benefit if you stop WBLA within two years of coming off benefit.

Rapid re-claim

If you are worried about starting a job you are not sure will last, and think it may be difficult to claim benefits again if the job ends, find out about rapid
re-claim from your local Jobcentre Plus. It can make it easier and quicker to re-claim JSA, Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. This is for people who need to reclaim their benefit within 12 weeks of the end of their previous entitlement.

Where can I get help finding work?

If you need support finding work, contact the RNID Employment, Training and Skills Service (ETSS). Employment advisers can give deaf and hard of hearing people information, advice, guidance and support to help them gain employment or training, or to improve their promotion prospects at work. Contact the RNID Information Line for further information.

Where can I find further information?

  • If you have an enquiry about benefits you should first contact the Benefit Enquiry Line.
  • If you need help filling in a form or want to speak to someone in person, contact the Benefit Enquiry Line or your local CAB. Alternatively, contact your local Jobcentre Plus office. They may be able to arrange for a visiting officer to come and see you in your own home.
  • If you still need further help after contacting these organisations please contact the RNID Information Line (opens new browser window) or your RNID office in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.
  • If you are a benefits adviser please contact the RNID Casework Service.

Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) (opens new browser window)

BEL Northern Ireland (opens new browser window)

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) (opens new browser window)

Disability Alliance (opens new browser window)

Jobcentre Plus (opens new browser window)

Law Centres Federation (opens new browser window)

Social Security Agency for Northern Ireland (opens new browser window)

Tax credits helpline (opens new browser window)

Welfare rights advice centres

See your phonebook to find your local welfare rights advice centre.

Further information from RNID

We offer a wide range of information on many aspects of deafness and hearing loss. Contact us for further copies of this factsheet and the full range of our information factsheets and leaflets.

RNID Information Line

19-23 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL
Telephone: 0808 808 0123
Textphone: 0808 808 9000
Fax: 020 7296 8199
Email: informationline@rnid.org.uk

RNID Cymru

Tudor House, 16 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9LJ
Telephone: 029 2033 3034
Textphone: 029 2033 3036
Fax: 029 2033 3035
Email: rnidcymru@rnid.org.uk

RNID Northern Ireland

Wilton House, 5 College Square North, Belfast BT1 6AR
Telephone: 028 9023 9619
Textphone: 028 9031 2033
Fax: 028 9031 2032
Email: rnidni@rnid.org.uk

RNID Scotland

Empire House, 131 West Nile Street, Glasgow G1 2RX
Telephone: 0141 341 5330
Textphone: 0141 341 5347
Fax: 0141 354 0176
Email: rnidscotland@rnid.org.uk

RNID Casework Service

If you are a benefits adviser please contact the RNID Casework Service at:

RNID Casework Service, 19-23 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL
Telephone: 0808 808 0123
Textphone: 0808 808 9000
Fax: 020 7296 8199
SMS 0780 0000 360 (supported by Lloyds TSB)
Email: caseworkteam@rnid.org.uk