Under the supplementary welfare allowance a weekly supplement may be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to people in receipt of social welfare or health board payments.
Entitlement to a supplement is determined by the health boards and supplements are normally calculated to ensure that the person, after payment of rent or mortgage interest, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to the family circumstances, less £6.
This £6 represents the minimum contribution which clients are required to pay from their own resources. Applicants are also required to contribute any assessable means in excess of the appropriate basic supplementary welfare allowance rate towards their rent or mortgage interest supplement.
When budget increases are applied, a rent or mortgage interest supplement recipient who gets an increase in their weekly payment which is greater than the increase in the basic rate of SWA will see a reduction in their rent or mortgage interest supplement equivalent to the difference in the two increases. These rules also apply to unemployed people and other rent supplement recipients who take up part-time employment.
