Benefits for people affected by cancer

Benefits are payments from the government to people who need financial help. When you are affected by cancer, you may be able to get benefits to:

• help with extra costs
• support you if you need to stop working.

The benefits system can be hard to understand. We have information to help you get the support you need.

Each benefit has rules about who can claim. Some benefits are paid to you for certain reasons. For example, you may be paid a benefit if you have a health problem that makes it difficult to look after yourself.

The amount of money you have affects whether you can get some benefits. These are called income-related or means-tested benefits.

You can only get other benefits if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions. These are called contribution-based benefits or contributory benefits.

If you are self-employed, the benefits you are entitled to may be different. Our Macmillan welfare rights advisers can help you understand what support you may be eligible for.

National Insurance is money collected by the government. You normally pay National Insurance from your earnings.

It is used for benefits and public services, such as the NHS. Paying National Insurance means you will be able to claim some benefits such as the State Pension.

If you are not working, you do not pay National Insurance. But you may be able to get National Insurance credits. These credits may mean you can still get contribution-based benefits.

If you would like to check your National Insurance record, you can:

• visit GOV.UK
• request a statement online at tax.service.gov.uk
• call the National Insurance helpline on 0300 200 3500 or textphone 0300 200 3519 to ask for a statement.

There may be a limit on the total amount of benefit you can get. This is called the benefit cap. It applies to most people aged 16 or over, who have not reached State Pension age.

If you are part of a couple and one of you is under State Pension age, the cap may apply.

You are not affected by the benefit cap if you or your partner:

• get Working Tax Credit
• get Universal Credit (UC) and have been assessed as having limited capability for work-related activity
• get UC because you care for someone with a disability.

You are also not affected if you or your partner get UC and earn more than a certain amount a month combined, after tax and National Insurance contributions. This amount is usually the amount you would get for working 16 hours a week at the national minimum wage for the previous 12 months.

You are also not affected by the benefit cap if you, your partner or any children under 18 who live with you get certain benefits. These include:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Attendance Allowance (AA)
• Carer’s Allowance
• Guardians Allowance
• Child Disability Payment – in Scotland only
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) – if you get the support component.

If you are working, the benefit cap may not apply to you.

You may have to stop working due to ill health. If you are claiming UC, the benefits cap may not apply for the first 9 months. This is called the grace period. It only happens if you and any partner:

• earned at least the amount you would get for working 16 hours a week at the national minimum wage for the previous 12 months
• are now earning a certain amount a month.

It is important to check if you are affected by the benefit cap. For a full list of benefits that are not included in the benefit cap, visit GOV.UK or call 0808 808 00 00 to speak to a Macmillan welfare rights adviser.

If the benefit cap applies to you, the amounts you can claim are different depending on whether:

• you live in London
• you are single or in a couple
• your children live with you if you are single.

For more information on the amounts you can claim, visit GOV.UK.

In Northern Ireland, some people affected by the benefit cap may get a Welfare Supplementary Payment. This payment will be the same as the amount of money you have lost under the benefit cap.

To find out more information about Welfare Supplementary Payments:

• Visit nidirect.gov.uk
• call the Welfare Supplementary Payments team on 0800 587 0971 or textphone 0800 587 0973.

The more information you can give the adviser, the more they will be able to help.

Try to have these things with you:

• any forms you need help with
• details of your income – for example recent payslips
• details of your partner’s income, if you have one
• details of any savings or investments – for example recent bank statements
• details of expenses such as rent, mortgage payments and council tax
• your National Insurance number.

For health-related benefits, also try to have:

• a record of your diagnosis
• details of your medical condition and treatments, including the names of any medications you are taking
• contact details for your GP, your cancer doctor and any other health or social care professionals you see.

If you already get benefits, you should also have:

• details of any benefit payments, for example bank or Post Office account statements, or recent award letters
• letters about your existing benefits, including letters about any benefit applications that were not successful.

If you disagree with a decision about your benefits, you may be able to ask for it to be looked at again. For example, you might ask for this to happen if you are refused a benefit or paid less than you think you should get. This is called a mandatory reconsideration. You must ask for this within 1 month of the decision date.

If you disagree with the mandatory reconsideration, you can appeal. You must do this within 1 month of the reconsideration decision date. If you miss the deadline for a mandatory reconsideration or appeal, speak to a welfare rights adviser. It may still be possible to challenge the decision.

Sometimes you can choose to appeal without asking for a mandatory reconsideration first. This is an option if:

• you disagree with a decision that you are fit for work when applying for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• you disagree with a decision about Housing Benefit – you can appeal to your local council to change the decision or go straight to an independent appeal tribunal.

Challenging a benefits decision can be complicated. It is a good idea to ask a welfare rights adviser for help as soon as possible. You can speak to our welfare rights advisers by calling 0808 808 00 00.

Some benefits can be backdated. This means you can be paid the benefit for a period before you made your claim. You need to ask for this on your application.

Not all benefits can be backdated. You should try to apply for any benefits you may be entitled to as soon as possible, or you may miss payments. You can speak to our welfare rights advisers to find out more.