EXTENDED BENEFIT PAYMENTS

Extended benefit payment is a continuation of your housing benefit or council tax benefit (or both) for up to four weeks when you start a new job - increase your working hours or earnings, and as a result are no longer entitled to either

A qualifying income-related benefit i.e. Income Support, JSA(IB) or ESA(IB), or

A qualifying contributory benefit i.e Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance or ESA (C)

You will normally receive the same amount of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit as you did in the last week before you started work or increased your hours.

To be eligible for an Extended Payment under the (qualifying income-related benefits) scheme the following qualifying conditions must be met:

You or your partner must have stopped getting Income Support, JSA(IB) or ESA(IR) because you have either started work or increased your hours or earnings (remunerative 16 hours or more).

The new job(or increased hours or earnings) must be expected to last for at least 5 weeks

You must have been continuously in receipt of Income Support, JSA(IB) or ESA(IR) for 26 weeks immediately before the qualifying income –related benefit ceased.

You or your partner may have been in receipt of JSA(C) at some point during the 26 week qualifying period but you must be in receipt of IS/JSA(IB)/ESA(IR) at the point that you started work or increased your hours/earnings.

Any period that a partner spends on a qualifying income-related benefit count towards the 26 week period , provided that they were your partner throughout the 26 week period and they are still your partner at the point that you start work or increased hours/earnings.


To be eligible for an Extended Payment under the (qualifying contributory benefits) Scheme

You or your partner must have stopped getting Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance or ESA(C) because you have either started work or increased your hours or earnings (remunerative 16 hours or more).

The new job (or increased hours or earnings) must be expected to last at least 5 weeks

You must have been continuously in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance or ESA(C) for 26 weeks immediately before the qualifying contributory benefit ceased.

Also, any period that your partner spends on a qualifying contributory benefit can count towards the 26 week period, provided that they were your partner throughout the 26 week period and they are still your partner.

You do not have to claim for an Extended Payment.
The Benefit Section will make the decision – you may however be asked to confirm that the job will last for at least 5 weeks and that you continue to be liable to pay rent or Council Tax.

When your extended payment has finished, you may be entitled to claim again for housing and council tax benefit if you think your income is still low.

You will have been sent a form to complete and return when we decide that you are entitled to an Extended Payment. We would request that this form is returned prior to the end of your Extended Payment to enable your claim paid continuously. Any new benefit will be based on your new circumstances.

If you should decided that you do not wish to claim for the after the Extended Payment it would assist if you advised the benefit section of this decision.

If you would like more information or advice you can:

Write to us at:
Isle of Wight Council
Revenues Division
Council Offices
Broadway
Sandown
Isle of Wight
PO36 9EA