Support for mortgage interest (SMI)

To get SMI, you need to be on one of these benefits:

• universal credit
• income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)
• income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
• income support
• pension credit

You won’t be able to get SMI if you’re on universal credit and you’re earning any money from work.

When your payments start depends on the benefits you’re getting:

JSA, ESA or income support – you can usually get SMI from 39 weeks after you claimed JSA, ESA or income support.

Universal credit – you can usually get SMI nine months after you claimed universal credit. This is being reduced to three months from 1 April 2023.

Pension credit – you can usually get SMI straight away.

When you apply for one of the benefits listed above, you’ll be asked some extra questions to see if you’re eligible for SMI. If you qualify, you’ll be offered a loan automatically.

If you turn down the offer, you can change your mind at any time. The payments will be backdated to when you were first eligible for the loan.

If you’ve changed your mind about turning down a loan, or you think you should have been offered a loan and you weren’t, contact the office that pays your benefit. You can find contact details on the government’s website.