Long-term Benefits Support Payments
Introduction
Long-term benefits support payments are intended to provide help towards meeting increasing energy costs to groups of people who have limited, fixed incomes who don’t qualify for the energy support payment.
A second round of long-term benefits support payments worth £300 per person is to be paid automatically to qualifying individuals in February 2023.
Pensioners living in the Isle of Man (IOM) who don’t get a state pension or other qualifying benefit (see below) from the IOM Treasury may also be entitled to a long-term benefits support payment, subject to their making a claim for one before 3 April 2023. More information about this is set out below.
Entitlement conditions
Unless you’re in one of the excluded categories (see below), you qualify for a long-term benefits support payment if –
- you were entitled to a state pension or other qualifying benefit (see below) from the Isle of Man Treasury for at least one day in the week beginning on 2 January 2023 and ending on 8 January 2023; and
- you didn’t qualify for an energy support payment in December 2022.
The 'qualifying benefits' are:
- attendance allowance
- bereavement support payment
- carer’s allowance
- disability living allowance
- employed person’s allowance
- income support
- industrial death benefit
- long-term incapacity benefit
- Manx state pension
- retirement pension
- severe disablement allowance
- unemployability supplement paid with an industrial injury benefit or war pension
- war pensioners’ mobility supplement (but see below *)
- widowed mother’s allowance
- widowed parent’s allowance
- widow’s pension
If the above applies to you, you’ll be paid a long-term benefits support payment automatically in February 2023. You don’t need to complete a claim form for one.
* If you’re getting a war pensioners’ mobility supplement and no other qualifying benefit, please contact us about your payment (phone +44 1624 687020 or email ISP@gov.im).
You may also qualify for a long-term benefits support payment if -
- you reached state pension age on or before 8 January 2023;
- you don’t get a state pension or other qualifying benefit from the Isle of Man Treasury; and
- you make a claim for one before 3 April 2023 (see “How and when to claim” below).
Excluded categories
You don't qualify for a long-term benefits support payment if you were entitled to an energy support payment in the third round of those payments paid in December 2022, or if on 8 January 2023 –
- you were not ordinarily resident in the Island,
- you were living in an adult care home (other than on a temporary basis), or
- you were under age 16.
How and when to claim a Long-term Benefits Support Payment
If you need to make a claim for a long-term benefits support payment download and print the claim form opposite. Complete it and take or send it together with the supporting documentation mentioned in the form to a social security office.
If you’re not able to print a claim form please get in touch with the Social Security Division on 685098 or by email at socialsecurity@gov.im. Or you can ask for one at a Social Security office.
You must make your claim before 3 April 2023 otherwise you won’t qualify.
Payment
If you’re automatically eligible, your long-term benefits support payment will be paid to you in February in the same way as you get your state pension or other qualifying benefit.
If you haven’t received one by the end of February please contact the income support for pensioners team at social security (phone +44 1624 687020 or email ISP@gov.im).
If you have to make a claim and you’re eligible, your long-term benefits support payment will be paid directly into your bank or building society account.
Long-term benefits support payments don’t affect entitlement to state pensions or any other social security benefit.
More information
For more information contact Social Security by email to socialsecurity@gov.im or phone +44 1624 685098. Or visit a Social Security office.
