Benefits and tax credits
Most full-time students can’t claim benefits, but there are some exceptions. The rules on eligibility for benefits and tax credits can be complicated and your eligibility will depend on your personal circumstances. International students cannot claim benefits or tax credits, apart from help with health costs on low income grounds. Take a look at the outlines below to see if you think you might qualify.
Top tip!
All other forms of benefit have been replaced by Universal Credit. You can find out more about this below.
You may be able to claim Universal Credit if:
- you are a lone parent
- you have a partner who is also a student and you are both responsible for a child
- you have a disability
- you are available for and actively seeking work
- you have taken approved time away from your course for up to one year due to illness or a caring responsibility
You can also find more specialist advice from the Durham University Student Money Adviser. You can contact them using this email address:
studentmoneyadviser@durham.ac.uk
They can provide full guidance on benefits for students, from eligibility to the amount someone should expect to receive, and can assist with applications and other issues (e.g. if you are receiving the incorrect amount, they can help to resolve this). We don’t offer our own financial advice, so if you need more support than is available on these pages, this specialist service should be able to help.
Page last reviewed: 18/11/2022
