
Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) can provide funds to pay off up to £200,000 interest on a loan or mortgage, to help a person secure a deal they otherwise could not afford. The money is paid in the form of a loan and will eventually need to be paid back.
The scheme is open to people on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit and Pension Credit.
People on Pension Credit can only get up to £100,000 or if a person started claiming a qualifying benefit before January 2009, and they were below state pension age at the time.
The money cannot be used to pay back the amount a person borrowed, and can only be used to pay off the interest.
The funds can also not go towards paying for insurance policies or missed mortgage payments, known as arrears.
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Those who receive Universal Credit cannot get SMI if they get any of the following income:
- Earnings from a person’s job if they are employed or self-employed
- A tax refund
- Statutory Sick Pay
- Statutory Maternity Pay
- Statutory Paternity Pay
- Statutory Adoption Pay
- Statutory Shared Parental Pay.
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