Part time students and other benefits
Carer’s Allowance
If you are a part-time student and your course involves you studying for less than 21 hours per week, you may be able to claim Carer's Allowance if you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week and they are in receipt of a qualifying benefit.
Child Benefit
If you are responsible for a child, as a part time student you can still claim Child Benefit.
Pension Credit
If you are a part-time student who is over Pension Credit age and you have a low income, you may be able to get Pension Credit.
Any student support income (grants or loans) you receive is ignored.
If you get Pension Credit (Guarantee credit) you will automatically receive your maximum entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support.
Tax Credits
You can get Tax Credits even if you are a part-time student.
If you or your partner are working and have a fairly low income, you may get Working Tax Credit; however, in some case you need to be aged 25 or over. How many hours you need to work will depend on your circumstances,
If you are responsible for children as a lone parent or as a member of a couple, you may get Child Tax Credit.
See the Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit information pages for full details about who can claim.
Universal Credit
If you are on a part-time course that is accepted as being compatible with your work-related requirements, you can get Universal Credit.
If you are subject to all work-related requirements under Universal Credit you must show that you meet these despite being on a part-time course
Most student support income is ignored but some additional payments may count as income.