Passported benefits are those benefits which some groups of people are automatically entitled to because of their entitlement to tax credits.

The following sections give brief details of the benefits which you may be entitled to if you receive tax credits (see details of each benefit for the type of tax credits which will qualify you). For further information about each of these benefits contact the relevant agencies as listed.

You need to note that the following sections deal only with passporting from tax credits. Receipt of other benefits can also entitle you to passported benefits.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment

Free School Meals

Health Costs

Health Start Scheme

Other Assistance

Education Maintenance Allowance & Higher Education Student Support Guarantee

Further information

Passporting and other benefits

Sure Start Maternity Grant

What is it?

• A Sure Start maternity grant is a grant of £500 payable from the social fund for each child or expected child that falls within the definition below. It is intended to help you with the costs of a new born baby. It is paid as a lump sum and you do not have to pay it back.

Who is entitled to it?

• You are entitled to a Sure Start maternity grant if you or your partner have been awarded one of the following on the day you claim the grant:
  
  
  • Child Tax Credit paid at a rate which exceeds the family element
  • Working Tax Credit which includes the disability or severe disability element



• If you are awaiting a decision on your tax credits entitlement then you should still apply for a maternity grant within the time limits below. If you are in this situation you should seek advice from a local advice agency.



• In addition one of the following must apply:
  
  • you or a member of your family are pregnant or have given birth in the last three months
  • you or your partner have adopted a child who is less than 12 months old when you claim a maternity expenses payment;
  • you and your spouse have been granted a parental order allowing you to have a child by a surrogate mother.



• There is also a section for your Health visitor to complete on the form.

When do I apply?

• You can claim from 11 weeks before the baby is due and until the baby is three months old.



• If you adopt a baby or have a child by a surrogate mother you can claim up to three months following the date of adoption or parental order.



• If you are awaiting a decision about your tax credits then you should still apply for a maternity grant within the time limits above. If you are in this situation you should seek advice from a local advice agency.



• If you have applied for a grant and have been turned down because you have not had a decision on your tax credit claim, you should submit a new claim for a Sure Start Maternity Grant within 3 months of your tax credit decision. If you think you might be in this situation you should seek immediate guidance from a local advice agency.

How do I apply?

• You can get a form from your local Jobcentre Plus office. Alternatively you can download an application form from the Jobcentre Plus website.

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Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment

What is it?

• A funeral payment is an amount from the social fund which helps you with the essential costs of a funeral which you or your partner are responsible for arranging.



• The amount should be sufficient to cover essential expenses (such as the purchase of a burial plot, necessary cremation fees) plus up to £700 for any other funeral expenses (such as funeral director's fees, religious costs, flowers).



• If you get a funeral payment, it will have to be paid back from the estate of the person who died. 'The estate' means any money, property and other things that the deceased person owned. A house or personal things that are left to a widow or widower will not be counted as part of the estate.

Who is entitled to it?

• You are entitled to a funeral payment if you or your partner have been awarded one of the following on the day you claim a funeral payment:
  
  • Child Tax Credit paid at a rate which exceeds the family element
  • Working Tax Credit which includes the disability or severe disability element

When do I apply?

• You can claim any time from the date of death up to three months after the date of the funeral. There is no provision for late claims.



• If you are awaiting a decision about your tax credits, you should still apply for the funeral payment within these time limits. It is advisable that you seek advice from a local advice agency if you are in this situation.

How do I apply?

• You should claim using form SF200 which you can get from your local Jobcentre Plus office.

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Free School Meals

• Your child will be entitled to free school meals if you receive:
  
  • Child Tax Credit only and your annual taxable income is £15,575 or less (you should find this information on your award notice) and
  • You DO NOT receive Working Tax Credit (WTC)



• You can find out more about free school meals by contacting your Local Education Authority or here

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Health Costs

What is it?

• The NHS normally provides free healthcare. There are however fixed charges for some services such as dental treatment, sight tests, glasses, wigs and fabric support and prescriptions.



• If you fall into one of the categories below you will get free prescriptions, free dental treatment, free sight tests, vouchers for glasses or contact lenses, full help with your fares to attend a hospital or any other establishmment for NHS Treatment or services.

Who is entitled to help with health costs?

• You will be exempt from these charges if you receive:
  
  • Child Tax Credit and your gross annual income used to calculate your tax credit award does not exceed £15,050 or;
  • Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit and your gross annual income used to calculate your tax credit award does not exceed £15,050 or;
  • Working Tax Credit including a disability or severe disability element and your gross annual income used to calculated your tax credit award does not exceed £15,050 per annum.
  
  
  

How do I apply?

• If you are exempt due to your entitlement to tax credits HMRC will inform the Prescription Pricing Authority. They will then send you an exemption certificate which is normally valid until the end of the tax year.



• You should also be able to use your Tax Credit Award Notice (TCAN) as proof of entitlement.



• If you have not yet received an exemption certificate or you are not sure whether you meet the income levels you can contact the tax credits helpline on 0845 300 3900 (textphone 0845 300 3909 ) - open from 8am - 8pm seven days a week




NHS Low Income Scheme

• If you do not qualify for exemption from these charges because you do not meet any of the criteria above you may still be able to qualify for some help under the NHS Low Income Scheme.



• Basic information about this scheme can be found here



• A detailed guide about the scheme can be found here: here



• The scheme is administered by the NHS. To apply for this scheme you should complete form HC1 which is available from DWP offices, Post Offices and most hospitals or doctors. Alternatively you can contact the NHS publications line on 0800 555 777.



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Health Start Scheme



• Prior to November 2006 free milk and vitamins were administered under the Welfare Food Scheme. In October 2005 a new scheme (Health Start Scheme) was piloted in Devon & Cornwall and on 27 November 2006 the scheme was extended across the rest of Great Britain replacing the Welfare Food Scheme.



• Under the new Healthy Start Scheme, instead of milk tokens those who qualify can exchange vouchers for milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and infant formula milk. You can also get free vitamin supplements.



• If you are or have been on the Welfare Food Scheme then you should be automatically transferred to the new Healthy Start Scheme.



• Generally you qualify for free vouchers under the scheme if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old, AND you (or a member of your family) are entitled to Child Tax Credit (not Working tax Credit) and an annual income of below £15,575 or less (2008/09). Note that you will not be counted as receiving WTC during the 4 week additional run on period, so you should still be eligible for Healthy start providing you meet the other criteria.



• There are some other limited categories of people who may also qualify. For further details see the Healthy Start Scheme website using the link.



• If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant and under 18 then you qualify for free vouchers even if you are not receiving any of the benefits above. (Providing you are not excluded from benefits under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999)



• Under the scheme you should receive:
  • One voucher a week worth £3.00 if you are pregnant
  • Two vouchers a week worth a total of £6.00 for each baby under the age of one
  • One voucher a week worth £3.00 for each child aged over one and under four.



• To apply for the scheme you need to fill in a form. You will also need your midwife, health visitor or other health professional to sign Part B of the form. You can:

  • apply online or;
  • download the form or;
  • request a form by calling 0870 1 555 455. In addition your midwife, health visitor or GP's surgery may have a form.


• You can apply at any time if you have children. If you are pregnant you can apply in the 10th week of your pregnancy or later.



• Free vitamins are available for children over 6 months and under four. You do not use the vouchers for the vitamins. Use the link for more details about these see: vitamins .



• For detailed information about the scheme including what you can buy with your vouchers and how the scheme operates you can visit the Healthy Start Scheme website .



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Other Assistance



• In addition to the above benefits you may also qualify for the following due to your entitlement to tax credits:
  
  
  • Assistance with court fees
  • Assistance with metered water charges in England and Wales
  • Assistance with essential house repairs or improvements
  • Warm Front, HEES Wales, Warm Deal and Warm Homes
  • Assistance with prison visits


• Further information on each of these schemes is available from the WTC 6 leaflet published by HMRC.



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Education Maintenance Allowance & Higher Education Student Support Guarantee



• Families who have young people continuing their education after the age of 16 may be eligible for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). This is up to £30 per week paid directly to the young person.



• The EMA is means tested based (in most cases) on the parental income. It is important to note that it is assessed on the previous tax year's income. The preferred method of proving income is your Tax Credit Award Notice - providing that it shows the previous year's household income.



• For example: For an EMA to cover the academic year September 2008/09 the assessment will be based on your income for the tax year April 2007/08.



• Further information can be found on the Department for Children, Schools & Families (previously the Department for Education and Skills) website.




Higher Education Student Support Guarantee (HESSG)

It is intended the HESSG will be introduced from September 2008 for 16 year-olds who qualify for an Education Maintenance Allowance.

The HESSG will be available if you:

• got you first EMA payment in or after September 2008
• got your EMA for a course based at school, college or work (but not if you did an Entry to Employment course)
• live in England

You'll also need to meet the usual eligibility rules for higher education financial support.

You can use this link to get full details about HESSG and whether you are likely to qualify.



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Further Information



• Further information about these passporting benefits can be found in WTC 6 Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit .



• You can also get further advice from the tax credit helpline. In addition you can contact a local advice agency.



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Passporting and other benefits



• Entitlement to the above benefits and schemes can also result from receipt of other benefits such as Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance and Pension Credit.




• More information about passporting from these benefits can be found here:

  • Income Support and
  • Jobseeker's Allowance and
  • Pension Credit



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