Income Tax: introduction
Tax-free and taxable state benefits
State benefits that are taxable
The most common benefits that you pay Income Tax on are:
- Bereavement Allowance (previously Widow鈥檚 pension)
- Carer鈥檚 Allowance or (in Scotland only) Carer Support Payment
- contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Incapacity Benefit (from the 29th week you get it)
- Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance (JSA)
- pensions paid by the Industrial Death Benefit scheme
- the State Pension
- Widowed Parent鈥檚 Allowance
Tax-free state benefits
The most common state benefits you do not have to pay Income Tax on are:
- Attendance Allowance
- Bereavement support payment
- Child Benefit (income-based - use the Child Benefit tax calculator to see if you鈥檒l have to pay tax)
- Child Tax Credit
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- free TV licence for over-75s
- Guardian鈥檚 Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support - though you may have to pay tax on Income Support if you鈥檙e involved in a strike
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Industrial Injuries Benefit
- lump-sum bereavement payments
- Maternity Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Universal Credit
- War Widow鈥檚 Pension
- Winter Fuel Payments and Christmas Bonus
- Working Tax Credit