Policy TF04 - Treatment of Capital

Version: 8
Last reviewed: 21 July 2025
Next Review: 31 March 2026

1. Background

ILF Scotland requires that applicants must not have personal capital exceeding the amount prescribed. The current limit is £35,500 in line with the threshold used by Scottish Local Authorities for residential care charging.

2. Policy

1. All applicants with capital below £35,500 will meet the capital eligibility requirement.
2. ILF Scotland disregard the capital of people claiming the following benefits:
3. Income Support
4. Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
5. Income-based Employment and Support Allowance.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) conditions for receipt of these benefits is sufficient to confirm capital limit eligibility for an ILF Transition Fund grant.

• ILF Scotland can disregard the value of capital set aside specifically for impending disability related purchases. Disability related purchases are not defined but could include, for example, equipment or home adaptations. In these circumstances an ILF Scotland Assessor visit will be required, during which the applicant will be asked to evidence the planned expenditure.

3. Deprivation of Capital

A recipient or applicant will be treated as having capital where they have purposefully deprived them self of capital in order to receive or continue to receive funding from ILF Scotland.

4. Definition of Capital

The ILF Scotland definition of capital includes:

• savings
• one off lump sum payments
• investments (not including annuity payments which are regarded as income)
• property/land (apart from the home a recipient/applicant lives in)
• interest from a Trust Fund.