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Can you get ALG along with benefits and other financial help?

Financial help you can get along with ALG

You can apply for ALG while you’re claiming most ‘in work’ benefits and some types of grants and allowances. These forms of financial help won’t affect whether you qualify for ALG:

• Adult Education Bursaries
• grants from charities
• Discretionary Support Funds
• Care to Learn
• Sixth Form College Childcare Scheme
• Carer’s Allowance (as long as you get less than 21 hours of 'guided learning’ per week)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Second Adult Rebate
• Career Development Loans

But you should be aware that any ALG payments you get will be taken into account when working out your entitlement to some of these forms of financial help. This applies to:

• Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
• Discretionary Support Funds

When your local council is working out what Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit you’re entitled to, they can ignore the first £632 of your ALG payments over a year – but they don’t have to. Contact your local council to find out what their policy is.

For information about other forms of financial help that you might be able to get, see ‘Help with learning costs: an introduction’.

• A to Z of local councils

• Help with learning costs: an introduction

Financial help which will mean you don’t qualify for ALG

You won’t be able to get ALG if you’re claiming ‘out of work’ benefits, or most forms of government-supported financial help that aren’t listed above. These include:

• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income Support
• Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance
• Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
• Apprenticeship payments
• Train to Gain

What if your partner is claiming ‘out of work’ benefits?

If you and your partner sign jointly for Jobseeker’s Allowance, neither of you will be able to get ALG.

If you don’t sign jointly for Jobseeker’s Allowance, you could still qualify for ALG if your partner is claiming ‘out of work’ benefits. But ALG may affect any joint benefits you do get. You should contact your local Jobcentre Plus office to find out how ALG would affect your joint benefits.

• Find your local Jobcentre Plus office Opens new window

ALG: are you eligible?

Remember that there are other conditions you need to meet to get ALG - see ‘The Adult Learning Grant: are you eligible?’.

• The Adult Learning Grant: are you eligible?