Benefits Calculator

What is your weekly Local Housing Allowance (LHA)? If you rent from a private landlord not a Housing Association or similar we will use the LHA figure instead of the rent you pay. The rate is calculated based on the size of your household.

For more information you can visit the rent officer website. There you can get your household room assessment and the current LHA rates. If your rent is more than the LHA, you will have to pay the excess. If your rent is lower you could get a maximum of £15 more than the rent.

If you want to claim council tax benefit then you must complete this section. If not then go to Step 3.

If you answer "Yes" to this first question you do not need to complete any other of the questions in step 3.

If you or your partner receive ESA then you must complete this section. If not please go to Step 5.

If your partner gets the higher rate of ESA component, you may want to put them as the main claimant on your benefit application to increase the amount of housing or council tax benefit you could receive.

Do you or your partner get:-

Attendance Allowance,
Constant Attendance Allowance,
Disability Living Allowance,
Invalid Vehicle Scheme or Motability,
War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement,
Severe Disablement Allowance,
Incapacity Benefit paid at the long term rate)?

Or, are you or your partner registered blind or regained your sight in the last 28 weeks)?
Or, have you (the claimant only) have been off work sick for at least 52 weeks with medical evidence?
Or are you terminally ill and been off work for at least 28 weeks with medical evidence ?

Do these two statements apply to you? Only say "yes" if both of them apply

You and your partner get the care component of Disability Living Allowance (middle or high rate) or Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance (or is your partner blind and you get one), and
No other adult lives in your home except your partner, other than disabled persons, your carer, landlord or other tenants.

Please complete this section if you receive child benefit. If you don't receive child benefit, go to Step 6.

If you are a single lone parent you must complete this section. If you are not a lone parent go to Step 7.

If you are working please complete this section. If you receive Income Support, Income based JSA or Pension Guarantee Credit please go to Step 12.
If you have a partner please give your joint average earnings from employment and self employment . Please enter weekly figures in the Weekly column only and Monthly figures in the Monthly column only.

£ Weekly

£ Monthly

How much do you and your partner earn before deductions? (Do not count expenses paid by your employer)

If you are a childminder how much do you earn? (Any earnings from childminding need to be counted separately from other earnings)

How much Income Tax and National Insurance is taken off?

How much do you pay towards a pension scheme?

Please complete this section about your weekly unearned income for you and your partner Based on the number of children you have told us about you should get Child Benefit of £ - ( automatically calculated, but disregarded from 05 October 2009 ).

Unearned income from all other sources each week - This includes Retirement Pension, Incapacity Benefit, Carer's or Severe Disablement or Employment and Support Allowances. Do not include Tax, Pension, Return to Work Credits, interest on savings or Attendance, Disability Living, Mobility and Fostering Allowances or Community Care Payments.

Please complete this section about you and your partners savings, investments and other assets. If you and your partner have £16,000 or more in savings and investments you cannot get any housing benefit or council tax benefit. Your home and personal possessions do not count.

Please give details of your childcare charges (up to £175 p/w for 1 child or £300 for more) and student expenses. Charges for registered or approved childcare can be deducted from the income of couples or lone parents who work at least 16 hours per week or on Statutory Sick, Maternity, Paternity or Adoption Pay or a similar benefit up to 28 weeks. Couples still qualify if one works and the partner is incapacitated, in hospital or in prison. Costs of childcare in the child's own home by a close relative are excluded.

Please tell us if you receive tax and pension credits.

or you can do an estimate based on the information you have already provided. The result may not be completely accurate but it will be very close. We just need to know these extra details....

Are there other adults who live with you but pay no rent? This is usually grown-up children who are not your partner or a student. These so called "non-dependants" are assumed to be helping towards the household income so a deduction is made from any benefit for each one.

Please enter the number of non-dependants in each of these Income Categories but skip this step if you (or your partner) is disabled due to blindness, or gets Disability Living Allowance care component or Attendance Allowance.

in the Top Earnings Category (£382+ per week gross)

between £306 and £381.99 per week gross earnings

between £231 and £305.99 per week gross earnings

between £228 and £230.99 per week gross earnings

between £178 and £227.99 per week gross earnings

between £175 and £177.99 per week gross earnings

between £120 and £174.99 per week gross earnings

under £120 per week gross but works at least 16 hours

Click and let the program work it out.

The total Applicable Amount figure is: (automatically calculated)

The total Net Weekly Income figure is (automatically calculated) including Tax / Pension Credits per week

How your benefit is worked out. If the Total Applicable Amount is higher than Net Weekly Income, you will receive maximum benefit. But if your Net Weekly Income is higher than the Total Applicable Amount, then 65% of the "excess income" is deducted from the Maximum Housing Benefit to find the award.

For Council Tax Benefit 20% of the "excess income" taper is deducted from the maximum award.

NB Non-dependant deductions are also taken off at this stage.

Weekly Housing Benefit Award: Weekly Main Council tax Benefit is:

Alternative Result is: Second adult rebate weekly Council Tax Benefit. Alternative Council Tax Benefit is often called Second Adult Rebate. It is based on the income of the non-dependants. This program calculates if you are better off with a benefit award based on your circumstances or your non-dependants.

And finally you can use the browser Print button to launch a print or change your figures to calculate again or the whole lot.