The following list is not exhaustive, but gives examples of types of income taken into account.
What counts as income:
- Earnings less Tax, NI, ½ of any pension contributions and reimbursement of expenses incurred in the course of the job.
- Take home pay – plus half of your pension contributions.
- Self-employed income – your books and other information will be needed.
- State Benefit income – less any tax paid.
- Income from capital.
- Self-employed income.
- Certain state benefits (eg JSA (CB), retirement pension incapacity).
- Private pensions.
- Rental received from a sub-tenant or boarder.
- Tariff income from capital.
Is any income ignored?
In certain cases, income can be ignored as shown below:
- Deductions from Earnings.
- Lone parent £25 per week.
- Childcare costs (1 child) £175 per week.
- Childcare costs (2 children) £300 per week.
- Disabled £20 per week.
- Couple £10 per week.
- Single person £5 per week.
- Certain state benefits (eg DLA, AA).
- Certain charitable or voluntary payments.
- Payments received from a non-dep (eg ‘keep’).
- Fostering payments.
- Some deductions from earnings.
Epping Forest District Council operates a discretionary local scheme, which also allows us to disregard income from war pensions. This disregard may not apply in other Local Authority areas.