Teenage parents and benefits

• if you are an orphan and have no one acting as your parent
• before you were 16 you were living in local authority care or foster care and you have since left that care
• your parents are sick, or are in custody, or are unable to enter the country
• you have to live away from your parents because you are estranged from them, or you are in physical or moral danger, or there is a serious risk to your physical or mental health.

IS is means-tested so whether you get it depends on the amount of money you have coming in and the amount of savings you have.

You should claim IS from your local Benefits Agency.

Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
You cannot usually claim JSA if you are under 18.

However, there are some important exceptions:

• If you are one of a couple and you have a child.
• If you have just left local authority care you are entitled to JSA for up to 8 weeks.
• If you have good reasons for not being able to live with your parents, or anyone acting as your parents e.g. foster parents, you can claim JSA during a period called the 'child benefit extension period'
• If you do not fit into any of the categories of people eligible for JSA but you would suffer 'severe hardship' without payment of benefit, you may be entitled to a discretionary payment of JSA.