Claiming Welfare Benefits During The Summer

If you are an undergraduate home student with children, you may be able to claim Income Support (IS) or Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) over the summer holidays if you are in receipt of a Student Finance.   

You can normally receive your summer benefits from the Monday after the end of the University’s official term; however we suggest that you make your application in plenty of time than this so that your assessment is completed in plenty of time.  You will need to go to Student Services in Chancellors’ Mall for a ‘To Whom It May Concern letter’, which will confirm your term end date.

Please Note: Summer benefits are only paid until the first benefit week in September so you will need to budget from the beginning of September until you receive your student loan in September.

You can claim Income Support (IS) over the summer holidays if: 

• You are a lone parent of at least one child under 5.

You can claim Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) over the summer if:

• You are a couple who are both full-time students and have a child, and one of you ‘signs on’ as unemployed.
• You are a lone parent with a youngest child aged over 5.

Housing Benefit/Local Housing Allowance

You should also ask for your Housing Benefit to be reassessed, this is because income from Student Finance England does not cover the summer period and therefore the amount of Housing Benefit you receive should go up in the summer period – usually in the summer period you should receive the full amount you are entitled to under your Local Housing Allowance rules.

Please see the links below for further information

Should I claim Job Seekers Allowance or Income Support

How do I make a claim for Job Seekers Allowance

Special rules for single parents

Decision Makers Guide (Useful for taking to the interview as Job Centre Plus staff are often confused about the rules regarding students and benefits.)