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Dependants’ Grants
2019/20
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What is Student Finance Wales?Student Finance Wales is a service provided by the Student Loans Company. We provide financial support on behalf of the Welsh Government to students from Wales entering higher education in the UK.
Depending on your circumstances, your course and where you study, you may be able to get a range of financial help and support. And most students won’t have to pay any tuition fees up front!
You could get grants and bursaries (which you don’t have to pay back) and loans (which you do). There’s also extra help for students with:
• a disability, including a long-term health condition, mental-health condition, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia.
• children or adult dependants
This guide is for new and continuing students who started their course on or after 1 September 2012.
For regular updates, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch our films on YouTube.
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What’s this guide about? Page 4
Do I qualify? Page 5
What can I get? Page 8
How will this affect my benefits?
Page 11
How and when do I apply? Page 12
Further information Page 15
4
What’s this guide about?
This guide provides information for full-time students who live in Wales and have children or adult dependants.
If you have a child or an adult who depends on you financially and you want to study an undergraduate course or Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course, you may be able to get extra financial help.
You could get a Childcare Grant, Parents’ Learning Allowance or Adult Dependants’ Grant. These grants are paid in addition to your main student finance and don’t usually have to be paid back. This guide explains who can get these grants and how to apply for them.
For information on applying for student finance, new full-time students should read ‘Student finance - new full-time students’. Continuing full-time students should read ‘Student finance - continuing full-time students’.
You can download these guides from www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
Similar arrangements are available if you live in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
You can find out more about what’s available where you live from the following websites:
England:www.gov.uk/student-finance
Northern Ireland:www.studentfinanceni.co.uk
Scotland:www.saas.gov.uk
This guide isn’t for students eligible to apply for an NHS student bursary or postgraduate social work bursary.
Visit www.nwsspstudentfinance.wales.nhs.uk/home for further information.
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Do I qualify?
5
Childcare Grant
You can apply for a Childcare Grant if you’re an undergraduate student, postgraduate Initial Teacher Education student or studying an integrated Master's course and at any time during the academic year you:
• have at least one dependent child under 15 in registered or approved childcare, or
• have at least one dependent child under 17, who has special educational needs and is in registered or approved childcare.
You may also be able to get a Childcare Grant if you:
• usually live in Wales and are studying abroad as part of your UK course, and
• can use childcare provided under a Ministry of Defence accreditation scheme while you’re abroad.
If you or your husband, wife, civil partner or partner get:
• the childcare element of Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit,
• Tax-Free Childcare from HM Revenue & Customs, or
• Childcare Allowance from the NHS,
you won’t be able to get Childcare Grant at the same time.
You can’t get Childcare Grant if you're studying a distance learning course.
6
Do I qualify?
Childcare Grant
Types of childcare that qualify
If you usually live and study in Wales you can apply for Childcare Grant if your childcare is:
• provided by a childminder, nursery or play scheme registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales
• provided by an out-of-school hours club, located on school grounds and run by a school or local authority
• provided in your child’s own home by a care worker or nurse from an agency registered with the Care Inspectorate Wales, or by a carer approved under the Approval of Child Care Providers Scheme
• provided by an approved foster carer (the care must be for a child who’s not being fostered by the foster carer)
If you usually live in Wales but study elsewhere in the UK, your childcare provider is subject to different conditions.
For more information visit www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
You won’t be able to get Childcare Grant if your childcare provider is:
• your partner,
• a relative of your child and providing care in your child’s home, or
• a relative of your child and is:
- approved under the Approval of Child Care Providers Scheme in Wales, or the Approval of Home Child Care Providers Scheme in Northern Ireland,
- providing care away from your child’s home, and
- only caring for children he or she is related to.
A relative of your child means a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, related by blood or marriage, or a person with a strong relationship to the child (for example, someone acting as a parent to their partner’s children).
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Parents’ Learning Allowance
You can apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance if you’re an undergraduate student, postgraduate Initial Teacher Education student or studying an integrated Master's course with dependent children. This allowance helps with the extra costs of being a parent and a student. You don’t need to be paying for childcare to be eligible.
You can’t get Parents Learning Allowance if you're studying a distance learning course.
Adult Dependants’ Grant
You can apply for Adult Dependants’ Grant if you’re an undergraduate student, postgraduate Initial Teacher Education student or studying an integrated Master's course and you have an adult who depends on you financially.
The adult can be a partner or another adult, but you can’t include grown-up children as adult dependants.
You can’t get Adult Dependants' Grant if you're studying a distance learning course.
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What can I get?
Childcare Grant
What’s it for?
It helps with childcare costs if you have a dependent child aged under 15 at the beginning of the academic year (or under 17 if they have special educational needs) in registered or approved childcare. This can include children who are born during the academic year.
How much can I get?
Depending on your household income, you can apply for up to 85% of your actual childcare costs during term time and holidays.
The amount is capped at £161.50 a week for one child or £274.55 a week for two or more children.
Your household income is the income of your partner (if you have one) and any dependants.
If you can’t provide details of your childcare provider on your application form, you should still apply. Your first instalment of Childcare Grant will be capped at £115 a week or 85% of your estimate (whichever is less).
How’s it paid?
We’ll pay any Childcare Grant directly into your bank account in three instalments,
usually at the same time as any other student finance you get. If you apply after the start of your course, your Childcare Grant might be paid separately.
Do I have to pay it back?
No, unless:
• the estimated childcare costs you gave in your application were higher than your actual costs,
• you don’t confirm your actual childcare costs when we ask you to, or
• you’re overpaid due to a change in your circumstances - so it’s important you let us know if your circumstances change.
If the actual childcare costs are less than you estimated, we‘ll reduce your next instalment of Childcare Grant. If you don’t confirm your childcare costs, your next instalment of Childcare Grant will be stopped and you’ll have to repay some or all of your previous instalments.
Anything else?
You must apply for Childcare Grant within nine months of the start of the academic year.
If you claim income-related benefits or Universal Credit, any Childcare Grant you get won’t be taken into account when your benefit is worked out.
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Parents’ Learning Allowance
What’s it for?
It helps with course-related costs if you have dependent children.
How much can I get?
You can get up to £1,557 a year. The amount you can get depends on your household income, which is the income of your partner (if you have one) and any dependants.
How’s it paid?
We’ll pay any Parents’ Learning Allowance directly into your bank account in three instalments, usually at the same time as any other student finance you get. If you apply after the start of your course, your Parents’ Learning Allowance might be paid separately.
Do I have to pay it back?
No, unless you’re overpaid due to a change in your circumstances – so it’s important to let us know if your circumstances change.
Anything else?
You must apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance within nine months of the start of the academic year.
You can apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance even if you don’t pay for childcare.
You should send a copy of your child’s birth certificate and your most recent Tax Credit or Universal Credit award notice or Child Benefit letter
10
What can I get?
Adult Dependants’ Grant
What’s it for?
To help cover extra costs if you have an adult who depends on you financially.An adult dependant could be:
• your husband, wife or civil partner,
• if you’re over 25, a partner you live with, or
• another adult who depends on you financially (usually a member of your family).
An adult dependant can't be:
• your grown-up child, or
• a partner or other adult who gets student finance.
How much can I get?
The amount you can get depends on your household income, which is the income of your partner (if you have one) and any dependants. You can get up to £2,732 a year.
How’s it paid?
We’ll pay any Adult Dependants’ Grant directly into your bank account in three instalments, usually at the same time as any other student finance you get. If you apply after the start of your course, your Adult Dependants’ Grant might be paid separately.
Do I have to pay it back?
No, unless you’re overpaid due to a change in your circumstances – so it’s important you let us know if your circumstances change.
Anything else?
You must apply for Adult Dependants’ Grant within nine months of the start of the academic year.
HM Revenue & Customs won’t count any Childcare Grant or Parents’ Learning Allowance when working out what tax credits, state benefits and Universal Credit you can get, but they will take any Adult Dependants’ Grant into account.
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How will this affect my benefits?
Most full-time students aren’t able to get income-related benefits or Universal Credit. However, certain students (including single parents, student couples with dependent children and some disabled students) may be eligible for income-related benefits, including Housing Benefit and some parts of Universal Credit.
If you want to study a course, you should speak to your university or college’s student welfare advisor to see how this may affect your benefits or Universal Credit.
Jobcentre Plus and your local authority’s Housing Benefit department will count some types of student finance as part of your income, including:
• most of any Maintenance Loan you can get, even if you choose not to take it,
• Welsh Government Learning Grant,
• Adult Dependants’ Grant, and
• bursaries that aren’t for costs relating to your course or childcare.
Some types of student finance aren’t counted as part of your income, such as:
• Fee Grant
• Tuition Fee Loan
• Special Support Grant
• Childcare Grant
• Parents’ Learning Allowance
• Disabled Students’ Allowances
• bursaries that are for costs relating to your course or childcare
If you have a partner who’s not a student and is eligible for income-related benefits or Universal Credit, your partner can claim those benefits or Universal Credit for both of you. Your income, including certain types of student finance, will be taken into account when your partner’s entitlement to any income-related benefits or Universal Credit is assessed.
For more information about students, benefits and Universal Credit, visit www.gov.wales
The information given here is only a general guide. If you think you may be able to get state benefits go to www.gov.wales/topics/people-and-communities/welfare-reform-in-wales
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How and when do I apply?
You can apply for student finance in English or Welsh.
Childcare Grant
Fill in the main application for student finance and tick the box to tell us you want to apply for Childcare Grant.
You can do this online at www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
We’ll then send you a Childcare Grant application form (CCG1) or you can download one from your online account.
Step 1
Fill in and return the CCG1 form.
Step 2
We’ll assess your application and send you a letter telling you how much student finance you’re able to get, including any Childcare Grant.
We’ll pay any Childcare Grant directly into your bank account in three instalments, usually at the same time as any other student finance you get.
Step 3
At three points during the academic year, we’ll send you a Childcare Costs Confirmation form (CCG2) for you and your childcare provider to fill in.
Your childcare provider will need to confirm the actual childcare costs they’ve charged you. If the actual amount is different from the amount you estimated in your original application, we’ll reduce or increase your next payment of Childcare Grant.To avoid having to repay anything, it’s important to give a realistic estimate of your childcare costs.
Parents’ Learning Allowance and Adult Dependants’ Grant
Fill in the main application for student finance and tick the box to tell us you want to apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance or Adult Dependants’ Grant. You can do this online at www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
Step 1
We’ll assess your application based on the information you’ve given in your main application. We may ask for more evidence if we need it.
Step 2
We’ll send you a letter telling you how much student finance you’ll get, including any Parents’ Learning Allowance and Adult Dependants’ Grant.
Step 3
We’ll pay any Parent’s Learning Allowance or Adult Dependants’ Grant directly into your bank account in three instalments, usually at the same time as any other student finance you get.
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How and when do I apply?
If you started your course before 1 August 2018
At the end of the academic year, we'll contact you and ask you to send us photocopies of documents to confirm any financial commitments you told us about in your application and your household income for the academic year.
We use this information to make sure you’ve been paid the right amount of Dependants’ Grants.
It’s important you send the documents we ask you for as quickly as possible, because you’ll be asked to pay back any Childcare Grant, Parents’ Learning Allowance or Adult Dependants’ Grant you’ve been paid if we aren’t able to confirm the details you originally gave us.
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Further information
Contacts
Student Finance Wales
For more information and to apply visit www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
You can also phone us on 0300 200 4050 (textphone: 0300 100 1693) between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
Family and Childcare Trust
National childcare charity that provides information for parents, childcare providers, employers, trade unions, local authorities and policy makers. Visit www.familyandchildcaretrust.org
Gingerbread
National charity providing expert advice and practical support to single parents.For further information visit www.gingerbread.org.uk
National Union of Students (NUS)
You can get more information from the NUS website at www.nus.org.uk/nus-wales
National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA)
NASMA is a charity working to help students by providing advice, information and training.
You can get more information by visiting www.nasma.org.uk
You can also order forms and guides in Braille, large print or audio by emailing your details along with which form and format you require to [email protected] or you can telephone us on 0141 243 3686. Please note, the above email address and telephone number can only deal with requests for alternative formats of forms and guides.
© Queen’s Printer and Controller of
HMSO 2019. Produced by the Student
Loans Company on behalf of the Welsh Government.
Extracts from this document may be reproduced for
non-commercial research, education or training purposes
on the condition that the source is acknowledged.
For any other use, please contact
This booklet is for guidance only and is not a statement of law.
WG34248
ISBN: 978-1-78903-615-2
