Accommodation for dependants

If an MP has caring responsibilities, e.g. for a child or for another family member, IPSA may provide supplementary funding to the accommodation budget where the MP rents a parliamentary accommodation with IPSA funds. MPs may also be able to request funding for travel costs for dependants they have registered with IPSA.

MPs must notify IPSA promptly of any changes in their circumstance regarding a dependant such that they no longer require accommodation for a dependant.

Who can be registered as a dependant

Children and other family members

• A child under the age of 18 for whom the MP has parental responsibility, which is the legal term denoting the rights and obligations of a parent regarding a child’s upbringing. If an MP does not have legal parental responsibility but provides a home and assumes responsibility for the child’s health, education and welfare, they may still be eligible and should contact their account manager.

• A child aged 18-21 in full-time education where the MP is the sole carer and has been seeking reimbursement for the costs of accommodation or travel for them prior to 1 April 2017.

• An expected child (via pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy) – MPs may be able to pre-register an expected child. Please speak to your account manager for details.

• A family member in receipt of one of the following benefits for whom the MP is a primary carer: attendance allowance, disability living allowance (middle or highest rate), personal independence payment (at standard or enhanced rate) or constant attendance allowance with either industrial injuries disablement benefit or war disablement pension.

All MPs may request funding for travel for registered dependants. Non-London MPs can also request a rental accommodation budget uplift for registered dependants. IPSA sets an amount each year for the budget uplift that will be applied per registered dependant up to a maximum of three uplifts.

An MP no longer qualifies for the uplift once a dependant turns 18 (or otherwise ceases to meet the criteria for registration). At that point, IPSA will continue to provide the uplift for a six-month transition period. This transition period starts on the day a dependant turns 18 and finishes six months later on the final day of the relevant month.

E.g. if a dependant turns 18 on 1 April, the MP will have a six-month transition period from 1 April to 31 October, when the uplift will be removed. Any MP who is the sole carer for a dependent child between the ages of 18 to 21 years in full-time education and used funding for accommodation or travel costs prior to 1 April 2017 may continue to do so until the dependant turns 21 or leaves full-time education, and will also receive a six-month transition period.

Spouses/partners and carers

MPs may register a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner as a dependant for travel and subsistence funding (no budget uplift applies).

MPs may register a carer if one of their registered dependants needs assistance from someone other than the MP or their partner when travelling. The carer may request funding for travel and subsistence costs (no budget uplift applies). Funding may also be provided for dependant's travel costs.

See more guidance on dependant travel.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

MPs will not be eligible for an uplift to their accommodation budget if they live in their own home and IPSA funds associated costs only.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

IPSA’s regulatory principles of integrity, value for money and accountability can allow MPs to assess whether their arrangements meet IPSA’s expectations.

IPSA provides additional accommodation funding for MPs with dependants to enable them to maintain their family and caring responsibilities while working in two locations. MPs’ decisions regarding dependant funding must not be aimed at gaining financial or other material benefits for themselves or their family.

MPs must have regard to these expectations before accessing additional funding for dependants.

A non-London Area MP who received funding for a London accommodation through the IPSA accommodation budget has parental responsibility of three children under 18. The children stay with the MP in London on average once every month as a way for the MP to maintain a family life while working away from home.

In-line with the principle of integrity, the MP has justified the need for an uplift to the accommodation budget for each of the three children. This uplift enables the MP to find suitable parliamentary accommodation that can allow their dependants to stay with them.

A non-London area MP has been receiving an uplift for their child for a London accommodation from IPSA for several years. The child is now 16, has left school and has started work in the constituency. The child has not stayed with the MP in London for many months and has no plans to, but the MP wishes to keep the uplift for ad hoc visits the child may make for their own personal interest.

In-line with the principle of integrity, the MP should only receive the uplift if they need additional space because the child is staying with them to support them to maintain a family life while they are working away from their constituency home. The uplift should not be used in a way that personally and/or financially benefits the MP’s family. As such, the MP should inform IPSA that the additional space, and therefore the uplift, is no longer needed.

MPs need to register their dependants on IPSA Online before they can become eligible for additional funding. All evidence must be in the form of an official document attached to the dependant registration form.

Child dependant up to the age of 18

Proof of their birth date is required to determine the start and end dates of the accommodation budget uplift. Please submit a passport or birth certificate and a dependant registration form.

For cases of adoption or surrogacy, additional information may be required. Please speak with your account manager.

If the MP has responsibility for a dependant but their family circumstances do not meet the criteria above, please speak with your account manager.

Child dependant aged between 18-21 who is in full-time education

This type of dependant must have been registered with us as an 'under-18 dependant' before 1 April 2017.

We require proof they are in full-time education (an official document which includes an end date) and proof of ID (passport or birth certificate).

Expected dependant

We may allow pre-registration of an expected dependant where it will assist with preparation, e.g. secure suitable accommodation before the birth. Please contact your account manager before the birth or adoption of the child.

Following the birth, we will request one of the following:

• Birth/adoption certificate

• Passport

• Declaration of surrogacy to confirm date of birth

Family dependant

We require proof that the dependant receives one of the following benefits:

• Attendance Allowance

• Disability Living Allowance (middle or highest rate)

• Personal Independence Payment (standard or enhanced rate)

• Constant Attendance Allowance with either an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or a War Disablement Pension

Guidance updated on April 2026.

MPs are provided with an uplift to their rental accommodation budget where they need to provide accommodation for dependants up to a maximum of three dependants.

The uplift only applies when an MP is set up to draw from the accommodation rental cost budget, are in the rental property and have the dependant in their care.

The uplift amount will be pro-rated from the day the dependant is in the MPs care. The MP must inform IPSA of this date. The uplift cannot be applied earlier than the start of the current financial year or the date the MP’s rental contract began. E.g. this could be when an MP and their dependant moved into accommodation or the date that an MP moved into appropriate accommodation ahead of the birth of a child.

The MP will receive 1/365 of the rental accommodation uplift for each day of the year the dependant was in their care.

If the MP leaves rented accommodation during the year (and moves to hotel accommodation for example), the dependant uplift will be pro-rated to the end of the rental period in the same way as the main rental accommodation budget.

See more guidance on how IPSA pro-rates budgets.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Once your dependant no longer qualifies for the dependant uplift, the accommodation budget uplift will be removed at the end of the six-month transition period rounded to the end of the month. We will do this automatically and let you know we have done it.

If your situation changes before this, please let us know so that we can update the system.

To remove a registered dependant from IPSA Online, please complete a dependants form stating the name of the dependant, and in the 'additional information' section of the form asking that they be removed from the system.

If this form is not used, you may be in receipt of an allowance that you are not entitled to.

IPSA regularly reviews this information and may contact you to request an update.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Do you have parental responsibility or are you the primary carer for your dependant? If you do not believe your circumstances fit with the Government definition but still believe you should be entitled to an uplift, please speak to your account manager.

Does your dependant stay with you enough to justify the taxpayer funding a bigger property? This is especially important if you are an Outer London-area MP who has been approved for accommodation funding.

Are you aware that you will need to make other arrangements, such as moving to a smaller property when your dependant(s) turn 18 and the additional funding is withdrawn after the transition period?

• Government guidance on parental rights and responsibilities

• Guidance on travel costs for dependents

• Guidance on accommodation costs funded by IPSA

• Guidance on hotel costs funded for dependants