Welfare rights

Disclaimer: the following pages only give an outline of the law on social security benefits and tax credits. It cannot investigate all possibilities and permutations. You should seek specialised help to discuss your individual circumstances.

A list of up to date benefit rates are now available to download:

• Benefit Rates: April 2009 - April 2010

The following pages are divided into life events. However, the pages are not mutually exclusive: e.g. you may have children and be unable to work due to sickness. You should navigate around the site using all the links that apply to you.

There are some benefits that are still in payment that have been abolished for new claimants for example, Severe Disablement Allowance. These have not been included, as they are now no longer available to claim.

Kent County Council does not administer or provide benefits to the public. If you wish to apply for any benefits mentioned on these pages you must contact the relevant authority/agency that administers that benefit.

• If you have a low income
• If you are pregnant
• If you have children
• If you are unable to work due to sickness or disability
• If you are going in to hospital
• If you are disabled
• If you are a carer
• If you are unemployed
• If you are working full-time (at least 16 hours a week) and have a low income
• If you are recently bereaved
• If you are retired (60 for women, 65 for men)