For example, you may be able to get help with your rent and Council
Tax, and if you are on a low income, you may be entitled to Income
Support. There are also benefits available if you are disabled or
caring for someone.
Understanding benefits
There are different types of benefit.
Some can only be claimed if you have paid enough National
Insurance, while others are paid depending on your circumstances or
the amount of money you already have.
• Contributory benefits
(or National Insurance benefits) can be claimed if you have paid
enough National Insurance. Typical examples would be a Retirement
Pension or Incapacity Benefit.
• Non contributory means-tested benefits can be
claimed if your income is below a certain level. Typical examples
are Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. It
does not matter how much National Insurance you have paid.
• Non contributory non means-tested benefits can
be claimed depending on your circumstances. It does not matter how
much National Insurance you have paid or how much money you already
have. Typical examples are Child Benefit and Disability Living
Allowance.
• Tax and pension credits can be claimed depending
on your income and situation. For example, if you work and have
children you may be able to claim Working Tax Credit and Child Tax
Credit. Older people may be able to claim Pension Credit depending
on their income and savings.
Where do I start?
You may be entitled to benefits if you or someone in your
household is:
• Over pension age
• Unemployed
• Off work due to illness or
incapacity
• Pregnant
• A parent or new parent
• Sick or disabled
• Working but on a low wage
• Widowed
• Recently bereaved
• Caring for someone who is sick or
disabled
• A student
Easy-to-understand information
Visit the Directgov website for clear and straightforward
information about
what benefits you may be entitled to and how to claim them.
Find out more about claiming benefits
If you are aged under 60
and want to find out about making a new claim for benefits, ring
Jobcentre Plus free on
0800 055 6688, 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday.
Textphone 0800 023 4888. If you want to make an
enquiry about a benefit you already receive, ring 0845 60
88 508.
If you are aged over 60 and
want to find out about making a new claim for benefits, ring the
Pension Service free on
0800 99 1234, 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday. For more
information about benefits you already receive, ring 0845
60 60 265.
For general advice on benefits for disabled people, their carers
and representatives, ring the Benefits Enquiry Line on 0800 88
2200.
For help with your rent and Council Tax,
visit the Housing and Council Tax Benefit pages on Doncaster
Council's website.
Work out what you might be entitled to
Use our benefits calculator
to work out what benefits you might be entitled to.
You can also visit our ‘Maximise
your income’ page to find out what else you might be able to do
to increase your income.
Apply online
You can also apply online for the
following benefits:
• Income Support
• Incapacity Benefit
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance for adults
and children
• Attendance Allowance
• Child Maintenance
• State Pension
You can also
download Housing and Council Tax Benefit claim forms from
Doncaster Council's website.
From 27 October 2008 Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support paid on incapacity
grounds for new customers. Find out more about ESA on the
DWP website.
It is very important to tell the benefits people
straight away about any changes in your circumstances or
income.