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

  1. 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 the Jobcentre Plus, the Pension Service, HMRC or the council.
  2. If you can’t do this, let them know as soon as possible afterwards.
  3. 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

Read the Benefits in Hospital factsheet from Disability Rights UK for more details about how your benefits are affected if you go into 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 in Newcastle

It can be useful to speak with someone about the benefits you may be entitled to and how they may impact upon your other benefits. A local independent advice service can help you such as;

There are more benefit advice services in Newcastle. Read the ‘Where to get benefit advice booklet.

Online benefits advice

Last updated: May 19, 2022