Jobseeker's Allowance - Premiums

Premiums are special additions in the calculation of Jobseeker's Allowance . They recognise that special groups of customers have extra needs. There are various categories of Premiums.

Premiums for people with children

New claims for income-based Jobseeker's Allowance will not include payments for children. This is because Child Tax Credit will provide money for children.

The Family Premium

This premium will be paid if you or your partner are responsible for, and in the same household as, a dependant child under 16 years, or under 20 years and still in full time non-advanced education. It may also be paid if you are still receiving Child Benefit. It is paid if you are a lone parent who gets the Disability Premium or one of the three Pensioner Premiums.

The Family Premium can be awarded in addition to other premiums except Family Premium (Lone Parent).

The Family Premium (Lone Parent)

If you are responsible for, and in the same household as, a child or young person under the age of 20 and claiming as a single person, you will get this premium in place of the Family Premium.

Existing Lone Parents who do not receive Family Premium (Lone Parent) because they are receiving a more beneficial premium, will retain an underlying entitlement to Family Premium (Lone Parent), which will become payable if they stop receiving the more beneficial premium.

A lone parent will lose underlying entitlement to Family Premium (Lone Parent) if:

they cease to be a lone parent for a period of more than 12 weeks; or
there is a break in entitlement to benefit of more than 12 weeks

The Disabled Child Premium

If you are responsible for a child or young person under the age of 20, you will get this premium if:

the dependant is getting Disability Living Allowance; or
the dependant is no longer receiving Disability Living Allowance because of admission to hospital; or
the dependant is·registered blind or ceased to be registered as blind up to 28 weeks before the claim was made

This Disabled Child Premium can be awarded in addition to other premiums.

There will be no entitlement if the child or the young person has capital of more than £3,000.

The Disabled Child Premium can be paid for each child that satisfies the above qualifying conditions.

Premiums for long-term sick people and people with disabilities

The Disability Premium

If you are aged under 60, you may be able to get this premium if you or your partner are:

receiving a Disability Living Allowance; or
receiving a Working Tax Credit (with a disability element); or
receiving Incapacity Benefit/Employment & Support Allowance - long term rate; or
receiving Severe Disablement Allowance; or
provided with an invalid vehicle; or
receiving payments through the invalid vehicle scheme, or war pensioners vehicle scheme, or their mobility component of Disability Living Allowance is being paid direct to Motability Finance Limited; or
registered blind

If blindness ends, you will still get the payment for up to 28 weeks after you cease to be registered blind.

Customers, but not partners, may also get the disability premium if they are accepted as being incapable of employment (including periods when they were receiving Statutory Sick Pay) for at least 364 days (196 days if they are terminally ill). Periods of incapacity separated by 56 days or less can be linked together when calculating the qualifying period.

The Enhanced Disability Premium

An enhanced disability premium may be paid to JSA (IB) customers who:

are receiving DLA High Rate Care Component
or have a dependant child receiving DLA High Rate Care Component

The premium is payable at two rates:

a lower rate for single people
a higher rate for couples

The single rate Enhanced Disability Premium is awarded when the Jobseeker is:

single, or
a lone parent, and
is aged less than the age at which they can get Pension Credit and
is in receipt of DLA High Rate Care Component

The couple rate Enhanced Disability Premium is awarded when:

both Jobseeker and partner are under 60, and
the Jobseeker or partner is in receipt of DLA High Rate Care Component

The Child Rate Enhanced Disability Premium is awarded for each dependant child who:

is in receipt of DLA High Rate Care Component, and
continues to be a member of the Jobseeker's family, and
does not have savings over £3000

The Enhanced Disability Premium can be awarded in addition to other premiums.

The Severe Disability Premium

Single rate

If the customer is single they may get the lower rate premium if:

they live alone and get Attendance Allowance or the middle or the higher care component of Disability Living Allowance and
no one gets Carer's Allowance for looking after them.

Couples

If the customer has a partner, they are entitled to the severe disability premium if:

the couple live alone or are treated as living alone;
they both receive a Disability Living Allowance care component at the higher or middle rate: or
the customer is receiving a Disability Living Allowance care component at the higher or middle rate and the partner is blind or in receipt of Attendance Allowance
If neither the customer nor their partner receives Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance care component at the higher or middle rate, they are not entitled to the severe disability premium

If Carers Allowance is in payment for either the customer or partner, when both receive Disability Living Allowance higher or middle rate, the customer is entitled to the severe disability premium at the lower rate. If Carers Allowance is not paid to either partner, the customer is entitled to the severe disability premium at the higher rate.

The Severe Disability Premium can be awarded in addition to other premiums (usually Disability Premium or Higher Pensioner Premium) and can be paid to both customer or partner or both.

Premiums for carers

You may be able to get this premium if you or your partner are getting Carer's Allowance or have claimed Carer's Allowance but could not be paid it because the person who claimed already had another higher benefit.

More than one Carer Premium may be awarded if both the customer and their partner satisfy the qualifying conditions.

The Carer Premium is payable for 8 weeks after a Carer's Allowance award ceases.

The Carer Premium can be awarded in addition to other premiums and can be paid to both you and your partner.

Pensioner Premiums

There are three types of premiums applicable to people who have reached the qualifying age for Pension credit, you will automatically get the one which pays the most:

The Pensioner Premium

You may get this premium if you or your partner are aged 60 to 74;

The Enhanced Pensioner Premium

You may get this premium if your partner has reached 75 and does not qualify for higher pensioner premium.

The Higher Pensioner Premium

You may get this premium at lower or higher rate.

the lower rate is payable to single customers or lone parents who have reached or are over Pension Credit age
the higher rate is payable to customers who are members of a couple

In couple cases the couple rate is paid even if only one of you fulfils the qualifying conditions. The couple rate is also paid if both of you qualify.

Rates of Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based) Premiums

Effective from 11 April 2011

Weekly Amount	Premium
£17.40	Family
£17.40	Family (Lone parent rate)
£103.75	Pensioner - couple (in IS cases only the couple rate can apply)
£28.85	Disability - single
£41.10	Disability - couple
£14.05	enhanced disability single rate
£20.25	enhanced disability couple rate
£53.62	Disabled Child
£21.63	enhanced disabled child rate
£55.30	Severe disability - lower (single)
£55.30	Severe disability - couple (lower rate)
£110.60	Sever disability - couple (higher rate)
£31.00	Carer