Your benefits while you are in hospital or in residential care

Some benefits are affected when you go into hospital or residential care. This means the payment will stop or the amount you get changes.

What to do when you’re going into hospital or residential care

Tell whoever pays your benefit the date of your admission before you go into care or hospital so they can make changes to your payment. This may be Jobcentre Plus, the Pension Service, Department for work and pensions (DWP) or Newcastle City Council Tax.
If you can’t do this, let them know as soon as possible afterwards.
Let the people paying the benefit know when you return home, even if no benefits were stopped while you were away.

Which benefits are affected by a stay in hospital or residential care

Benefits that are not affected	Benefits that may be affected	Benefits that are affected
Armed forces independence payment	Council tax support	Attendance allowance
Bereavement support payment	Industrial injuries benefits	Carer’s allowance
Child tax credit	Widowed parents allowance	Child benefit
Maternity allowance	Severe disablement allowance	Disability living allowance
State pension	War pensions	Employment and support allowance
Statutory adoption pay	Working tax credit (WTC)	Guardian’s allowance
Statutory maternity pay		Housing benefit
Statutory paternity pay		Income support
Statutory shared parental pay		Jobseeker’s allowance
Statutory sick pay		Pension credit
Widowed parents allowance		Personal independence payment
		Universal credit

Where to get benefits advice

You can get benefits advice from a local independent service. They can help guide you through the application process and explain how some benefits may impact upon another. Services in Newcastle include:

Citizens Advice Newcastle (CAN).
Newcastle Welfare Rights Service have self help material on their website
Search Newcastle give benefits advice to older people in the West of Newcastle
Disability North give disability related benefit advice, help with appeals and representation at tribunals

Online benefits advice

Visit www.newcastle.gov.uk for more benefit advice services available across Newcastle.
Money Advice Service has online information on the full range of benefits that you may be entitled to.

Last updated: January 24, 2025