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benefits asks...
what benefits can i get at 16 attending full time college course. my friend said ema but i dont know what that is. also if i had a baby can i get child benefit at 16. thanks
What we suggest...
Hi benefits
Thanks for contacting q2a.
We understand that you are looking for info about EMA and other benefits you might be entitled to whilst attending college. Also, you have asked if you can get Child Benefit at the age of 16. We will start by giving you some information about the EMA. We have kept our answer pretty tightly to the two benefits you mentioned. If you need us to check through others for you, like income support, then please email us again with some more info about your situation like who you live with, and if they support you at all etc.
EMA, which is short for Educational Maintenance Allowance, comes in weekly payments and you get different amounts depending on your circumstances. The money goes directly into your bank account but you will only get it if you regularly attend and work hard on your course. It is only available to young people aged 16 (like yourself) as well as those who are 17 or 18 and are undertaking compulsory education.
You are eligible for EMA if you are enrolled on a course in England which is either:
A full-time further education course at a college or school
An LSC-funded Diploma (where available) or a course that leads to an Apprenticeship
An LSC-funded Entry to Employment (e2e) course.
Because you are going to be attending a full time college course then it would appear that you should be eligible for EMA. However the amount you get also depends on your household income. If you are on an e2e course you would automatically get the full amount of £30 but if you are on any of the others you would get varying amounts depending on how much your household income is. . To qualify for EMA in the academic year starting September 2009, your annual household income must be below £30,810 (for tax year 2008-09). If it is more than £30, 810 you wouldn't be entitled to any EMA.
If your household income is up to £20,817 per year you would be entitled to £30 per week.
If it is £20,818 - £25,521 per year you would be entitled to £20 a week.
Finally, if it is £25,522 - £30,810 per year you would be entitled to £10 a week
If you have a part time job and are worried about how it will effect your EMA don't worry, any money you earn isn't included in your overall household income. Also, EMA does not affect any other household benefits. So your parents and carers are still free to keep claiming child benefit, tax credits and so on. Also, on top of your weekly amount you can also receive bonuses - but only if you do well and meet the targets set by your teacher, tutor or provider.
If you had a baby and was planning to go to college there is another benefit called "Care to Learn" which enables young parents to access money for childcare while they are studying. In order to get this money you would just have to be doing a course that has some public funding. These include courses in schools, sixth forms, sixth form colleges, other colleges and learning providers. They also include Entry to Employment (e2e) programmes, apprenticeships (with non-employed status) and courses in your community - for example, at Children’s Centres.
You would also have to be aged 20 or under, live in England, and be either a British citizen or a national of another country within the European Economic Area (EEA) and as long as the other parent is unable to provide childcare (because, for example, they are working) and the other parent is not claiming the childcare element of Working Tax Credit. Finally, to get Care to Learn, you must use a childcare provider that is registered on the compulsory part of the Ofsted Childcare Register or on the Early Years Register. This type of registration means the childcare must meet certain safety and quality standards.
We understand that there is a lot of information about Care to Learn and EMA but if you have any further questions or would like any of the info explaining you can contact the Learner Support Helpline on 0800 121 8989. The opening hours are from 7.00 am to 8.00 pm every day.
You can also get more info at your local Connexions centre. The address is:
Ground Floor
St Johns Court
Ainsworth St
Blackburn
BB1 6AR
Telephone: 01254 267780
Fax: 01254 267788
Opening Hours: Mon 9-5, Tues 10-5
With regards to your second question, the answer is yes you could claim Child Benefit although how you would go about it would depend if you were planning to stay in full time education or not. If you were going to stay in full time education in a college or school then your mum, dad or carer would apply for you and give you the money for your child. However, if you were not in education then you would have to claim for yourself. If you wish to make a claim for Child Benefit, you can do this is by filling in a claim form and sending it or taking it in to your local Child Benefit Office along with a copy of your child's birth certificate. You can't claim over the phone or on the internet but you can download a form from http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit/claim-form.htm. If you are having a baby you would get given what is called a "bounty pack" that is given to new mothers in hospital and this would have a form in it, amongst other things.
Your local Child Benefit office is at:
Inland Revenue Tax Offices
2 Newgate House, Blackburn, Lancashire
BB1 1BA
Tel: 01706 664000
We hope this information is helpful to you and wish you the best of luck with your course. Please email us again about anything else you think we might be able to help with.
Take care
q2a
Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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