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How much benefit am I entitled to?

Housing and Council Tax Benefits are ending. Starting from April 2013, Council Tax Benefit will be replaced by our Local Council Tax Support scheme. New Housing Benefit restrictions will be introduced and from October 2013, for new claimants only, Universal Credit will cover the housing costs. See if you will be affected by the changes.

If you are unsure about how much Housing Benefit you could be entitled to,you can use the online calculator shown below.

If you then wish to make a claim, please go to the How to Claim Benefit page which has further information.

Please note that the benefit calculator will give you an estimate of how much benefit you might be entitled to. Your actual entitlement to benefit will be determined once your claim has been assessed by the Benefits Section.

Benefits Calculator

The maximum amount of Housing Benefit payable is:

• 100% of your eligible rent (after any ineligible service charges)

The minimum amount of Housing Benefit payable is 50p per week . The amount of benefit you receive will depend on your household income, capital, family circumstances and the weekly amount of rent payable.

Your rent may be restricted if you are over accommodated. If you have made a new claim since April 2008, the rent that can be used in the benefit calculation is determined under the Local Housing Allowance rules. Please see the pages relating to Local Housing Allowance for more information. Your benefit may be reduced if you have other adults living with you - such as grown up sons and daughters, or an elderly relative. These deductions are called ‘Non-dependant’ deductions. You will be responsible for paying the difference between the actual rent payable and the amount of benefit awarded.

How is my Housing Benefit Benefit calculated?

Housing Benefit Benefit is calculated by comparing the amount of money you have (your income) with the amount the Government says you need in order to live (the ‘Applicable Amount’). If your income is less than or equal to your applicable amount you will receive the maximum amount of benefit payable. If your income is more than your applicable amount you will have to contribute something towards your rent yourself. The amount you will have to pay will depend on your individual circumstances.

How is my Applicable Amount calculated?

Your applicable amount is made up of a personal allowance and any ‘premiums’ that you are entitled to. The amount awarded will depend on whether you are single, married (or living with someone as if you are married, including a partner of the same sex) and the ages of yourself and any partner or partners you may have. Additional allowances are awarded if you have children for whom child benefit is payable. Premiums are awarded if you are a family with dependent children, if you are aged over 60 years, or if you receive a qualifying state benefit for disability or for caring for someone with a disability. The personal allowances and premiums are set by government and the Council cannot vary them.

How is my Income and Capital calculated?

Income: Income from all sources is taken into account in the calculation of both Housing Benefit and Main Scheme Council Tax Benefit. Some income is disregarded either in part or in full but it is still included in the assessment - this is because some types of income, whilst being fully disregarded, can give rise to a higher needs level (applicable amount) when calculating entitlement. Some examples of disregarded income are shown below:

Working Tax Credit and  Child Tax Credit are also disregarded in part if the award includes the 30 hour credit. You may also qualify for help with child care costs if you are a single parent working 16 hours or more per week. Couples may qualify for help with child care costs if they both work 16 hours or more per week. Couples where one partner works 16 hours or more per week, and the other partner qualifies for a ‘disability premium’ or the ‘higher pensioner premium’ in the calculation of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit, are also entitled to help with child care costs.

Capital: Capital from all sources is taken into account including non-interest bearing current accounts, savings accounts, building society accounts, shares, ISA’s, Unit Trusts, Premium Bonds and any other type of investment. If you have a second property, time-share or holiday home these will all be taken into account when assessing your capital. Some capital, such as a property that is occupied by an elderly relative, is disregarded. If you are of working age the first £6000 of capital is disregarded. If you are of pensionable age, the first £10,000 of your capital is disregarded. If your total capital is above the amount of the capital disregard, the Council will assume a notional income of £1.00 for every £250 (or part of £250) of capital you have above the disregarded capital limit (this rises to £500 for claimants aged over 60). If your capital is over £16000 you are ineligible to claim Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

What happens if there are other adults living with me?

If you have any other adults living with you - such as grown up sons or daughters, an elderly relative or a friend - your benefit may be reduced. An adult is someone over 18 years old. If the other adults are under 25 and in receipt of Income Support or income based Jobseekers Allowance there will be no deduction from your benefit. However, even if the other adults receive Income Support or income based Jobseekers Allowance, a deduction will be made from your Housing Benefit if they are over 25. If the other adults are not receiving Income Support or income based Jobseekers Allowance a deduction will be made even if they are not working.

The amount of the deduction (known as a ‘non-dependant deduction’) depends on the income of the other adult or adults living with you. If all the other adults living with you are on a low income - and if you are the only liable person for Council Tax - you may be entitled to claim Alternative Maximum Council Tax Benefit even if you have a high income or have capital over the £16000 limit. If you are claiming Alternative Maximum Council Tax Benefit (2nd Adult Rebate) no non-dependant deductions will be made from your benefit.