LRD guides and handbook March 2014

State benefits and tax credits 2014

Introduction

Introduction [pages 5-8] (1,671 words)

State Benefits and Tax Credits 2014 is the revised edition of the Labour Research Department’s annual guide to the benefits system. It concentrates ...
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Chapter 1

1. THE WELFARE REVOLUTION [ch 1: page 9] (122 words)

As a result of the huge shake up of the benefits system introduced by the coalition government through the Welfare Reform Act 2012, several welfare ...
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Universal Credit [ch 1: pages 9-10] (511 words)

How Universal Credit will work [ch 1: pages 10-13] (1,547 words)

The Benefit Cap [ch 1: pages 14-15] (445 words)

Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment [ch 1: page 16] (268 words)

Housing Benefit [ch 1: pages 16-17] (319 words)

Council Tax Support [ch 1: pages 17-18] (451 words)

The Social Fund [ch 1: pages 18-19] (203 words)

Tax Credits [ch 1: page 19] (57 words)

Appeals process changes [ch 1: page 19] (195 words)

Chapter 2

2. HELP IF YOU ARE ON A LOW INCOME, WHETHER IN OR OUT OF WORK [ch 2: page 20] (130 words)

There are a number of benefits — primarily Working Tax Credit, Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance — available to people on low incomes, ...
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Increases to benefits in 2014 [ch 2: page 20] (151 words)

Working Tax Credit [ch 2: pages 20-23] (1,161 words)

Income Support [ch 2: pages 23-27] (1,735 words)

Jobseeker’s Allowance [ch 2: pages 28-34] (2,659 words)

Cold Weather Payment [ch 2: pages 34-35] (250 words)

Other financial help: the Social Fund [ch 2: page 35] (252 words)

Chapter 3

3. HELP IF YOU ARE SICK, INJURED AT WORK OR DISABLED [ch 3: page 36] (289 words)

There are a number of benefits that you may be able to claim if you are sick, injured at work or disabled. What you get depends on whether you are in ...
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Statutory Sick Pay [ch 3: pages 36-40] (1,671 words)

Employment and Support Allowance [ch 3: pages 41-42] (1,038 words)

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit [ch 3: pages 43-45] (942 words)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) [ch 3: pages 45-46] (472 words)

Attendance Allowance [ch 3: page 47] (89 words)

Carer’s Allowance [ch 3: pages 47-48] (381 words)

Chapter 4

4. SUPPORT FOR PARENTS-TO-BE AND PARENTS [ch 4: page 49] (96 words)

Benefits available to help parents and guardians raise their children include: ...
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Parents-to-be [ch 4: page 49] (203 words)

Statutory Maternity Leave [ch 4: pages 49-51] (531 words)

Statutory Maternity Pay [ch 4: pages 51-52] (383 words)

Maternity Allowance [ch 4: page 52] (336 words)

Sure Start Maternity Grant [ch 4: pages 52-53] (214 words)

Ordinary Paternity Leave and Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay [ch 4: page 53] (314 words)

Additional Paternity Leave and Pay [ch 4: page 54] (325 words)

Statutory Adoption Leave and Pay [ch 4: pages 54-55] (370 words)

New rules on parental leave (expected to come into force in April 2015) [ch 4: pages 55-57] (704 words)

Child Benefit [ch 4: pages 57-58] (358 words)

Guardian’s Allowance [ch 4: page 58] (85 words)

Child Tax Credit [ch 4: pages 58-59] (441 words)

Universal Credit [ch 4: pages 59-60] (456 words)

Chapter 5

5. BASIC STATE PENSION AND PENSION CREDIT [ch 5: page 61] (343 words)

Once you reach the State Pension age (currently 65 for men and gradually rising from 60 to 65 for women by November 2018), you may be able to claim a ...
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Basic State Pension [ch 5: pages 62-63] (632 words)

Additional State Pension [ch 5: pages 63-65] (436 words)

Pension Credit [ch 5: pages 65-66] (460 words)

Winter Fuel Payment [ch 5: page 66] (142 words)

Changes in 2015 [ch 5: page 66] (84 words)

New state pension reforms in 2016 [ch 5: pages 67-68] (738 words)

Chapter 6

6. HELP WITH HOUSING COSTS [ch 6: page 69] (171 words)

The government has been focusing on Housing Benefit as a means of cutting public spending for some time. It has introduced many changes including: ...
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Housing benefit [ch 6: pages 69-70] (220 words)

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) [ch 6: pages 70-71] (486 words)

Help with a mortgage [ch 6: page 71] (50 words)

The impact of the “bedroom tax” [ch 6: page 71-73] (632 words)

Chapter 7

7. HELP IF YOUR HUSBAND, WIFE OR CIVIL PARTNER DIES [ch 7: page 74] (102 words)

If your husband, wife or civil partner dies, you may be entitled to: ...
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Bereavement Payment [ch 7: page 74] (195 words)

Bereavement Allowance [ch 7: page 75] (114 words)

Widowed parent’s benefits [ch 7: page 75] (163 words)

Inheriting State Pension entitlement [ch 7: pages 75-76] (378 words)

Funeral Payments [ch 7: page 76] (182 words)

Chapter 8

8. CALCULATING MEANS-TESTED BENEFITS [ch 8: pages 77-78] (409 words)

Income Support (IS), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) are means-tested benefits that ...
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Further information

Further help and information [pages 79-80] (619 words)

The state benefits system is run mainly by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), while HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) administers Tax Credits. ...
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