Income Support

What is income support?

Income Support is an income-related benefit that provides financial support towards the cost of housing, living, medical needs and childcare. Carers also receive support. A Guide to Income Support can be viewed here.

Income Support is available to individuals and families that satisfy conditions. Every adult in the household must have lived in Jersey continuously for at least 5 years immediately before making the claim or for a consecutive period of 10 years at any time in the past.

Every adult in the household is expected to be in full-time paid work or be exempt from full-time work.

For up to date Income Support rates, please see here.

Special payments

A Special Payment is a one-off payment to cope with emergencies and is available as a loan to an adult who meets one of the following criteria:

• A member of an Income Support household
• A member of a household that is just outside the normal income support eligibility conditions:
  • Either the household satisfies the income and work conditions and there is an adult in the household that has been in Jersey for at least four and a half years
  • The household satisfies the work and residence conditions but the income of the household is above the limit for income support by up to 10%

How are special payments made?

A special payment is only made if the applicant has no other reasonable means of meeting the cost.  Income Support allows each Income Support household a capital limit below which savings do not affect the amount of benefit received.  Income Support households are allowed to maintain 25% of the capital limit applicable to the household but are expected to fund the item or service themselves if their savings are above that amount and the expense would not reduce the savings below this limit.

Special Payments can be used to pay for a service or an item. The claimant must be in urgent need and an estimate of cost must be provided with the Special Payments Application Form.  Income Support pays the supplier direct.