Other benefits

This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. This page applies to Scotland only. Get advice relating to England

Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to claim other benefits.

To find out more about any of these benefits, visit the DWP's A to Z of benefits website.

Attendance allowance

You may be eligible for attendance allowance if you need help with day-to-day living because of a physical or mental illness or disability. You must be over 65 when you claim. If you are under 65 see disability living allowance below.

Bereavement benefits

If your husband, wife or civil partner died in the last year you may be entitled to:

• a bereavement payment, and/or
• bereavement allowance.

If your spouse has died and you are pregnant or responsible for a child, you may be entitled to:

• a bereavement payment, and/or
• widowed parent's allowance.

You can find out more about bereavement benefits here.

You might also be able to get help to pay for the funeral of the person who has died. This is called a funeral payment.

Carer's allowance

This is a benefit to help people who are unable to work because they care for someone for at least 35 hours per week. It can affect the benefits of the person you are looking after, so you may want to seek advice before you make a claim. You can find out more about carer's allowance here.

Child benefit

Child benefit can be paid to any person who is bringing up children. You get a set amount for each child, and it is not affected by your income or savings. You will only be entitled to other benefits for a child, or an increase in your benefits because you have a child, if you are claiming child benefit for the child. Find out more on the Inland Revenue website.

Disability living allowance

You may be eligible for disability living allowance (DLA) if you need help with day-to-day tasks because of a mental illness or physical disability. You must be under 65 when you claim. If you are over 65, see attendance allowance above.

Employment and support allowance

From the 27 October 2008 a new benefit called employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on incapacity grounds. You can find out more information at the Jobcentre Plus website.

Incapacity benefit

As stated above, from the 27 October 2008 incapacity benefit was replaced by the employment and support allowance. However, if you were already in receipt of incapacity benefit you will continue to receive it for as long as you meet the entitlement criteria.

Income support mortgage interest

If you are having problems paying your mortgage, you may be able to get income support mortgage interest (ISMI) to help pay the interest. ISMI can also pay for the interest on loans you have taken out for repairs or improvements. You should also be able to claim ISMI if:

• you or someone in your family is disabled, and
• you receive or are eligible to receive income support or income based jobseeker's allowance, and
• you want to buy a home that is more suitable for your needs.

You can find out more about getting a mortgage if you're a disabled person here.

Statutory sick pay

If you are off work for more than four days because you are unwell and your employer does not give you sick pay, you may be entitled to statutory sick pay.

Winter fuel payments

If you, or your partner, are over 60 you are entitled to a winter fuel payment. This is a one of payment each year of:

• up to £250 if you are under 80
• up to £400 if you are over 80.

You will only have to make a claim for your first payment. You should then receive payments automatically every year. Find out more about winter fuel payments on the Pension Service website.