Income Support and several other benefits pay additional amounts or premiums on top of the standard rate. The trigger for many of these is Disability Living Allowance, making that an especially important benefit to claim – especially because these premiums are paid in addition to the Disability Living Allowance payments themselves.
The same common rules are applied for these premiums for each benefit. Except that the Disability Premium is not available with Employment and Support Allowance. Also, Pension Credit premiums are named 'additional amounts' rather than 'premiums', but they are in every other respect exactly the same.
The benefits these premiums apply to are:
Income Support
income based Jobseekers Allowance
income based Employment and Support Allowance (except that the disability premium is not available for this)
Pension Credit
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Note that Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit premiums will be awarded in addition to premiums in the cash benefits. Meaning that qualifying for these premiums may reduce your rent and council tax bills as well as gain you increased cash benefit payments.
Also note that qualifying for one of these premiums may allow you to qualify for a benefit you would otherwise not be entitled to, because your income was too high, and so allow you to get paid at least a small amount of the new benefit.
1 – Disability Premium £27.50 (or, for a couple where either one or both qualify, £39.15 total)
Note – this premium is not available with Employment and Support Allowance.
Disability Premium is awarded if the claimant or their partner receives
Disability Living Allowance (at any rate and with either component), or
Attendance Allowance, or
Long Term Incapacity Benefit, or
Special short term Incapacity Benefit (termional illness), or
War pensioner's mobility supplement, or
Working Tax Credit disability or severe disability element, or
has been incapable of work for 52 weeks (28 weeks if terminal illness), or
is registered as blind, or
has an invalid car.
2 – Enhanced Disability Premium £13.40 (or, for a couple where either one or both qualify, £19.30 total)
Awarded if claimant or partner in receipt of Disability Living Allowance higher rate care component.
3 – Severe Disability Premium £52.85 (couples get double if both qualify)
Awarded if:
Claimant gets Disability Living Allowance higher rate care or middle rate care, or attendance allowance at any rate, or Constant Attendance Allowance.
Claimant lives alone or technically lives alone (no non dependants living with them who are aged 18 or over. Other disabled people are not counted).
This can get a little complex, so see full discussion, with examples, at Carers Allowance and To Claim or Not To Claim.
4 – Carers Premium £29.50
Awarded if claimant is either paid Carers Allowance or has an underlying entitlement to Carers Allowance.
See full course notes for this at Carers Allowance.