Housing and council tax benefit calculator

Benefits Calculator

The Web Benefits Calculator - simply fill out this form for an instant on-line Benefits estimate.

Remember this calculation is an estimate based on the information you supply. For a full evaluation make a formal claim asap. Usually Benefit will only start from the Monday after the Council receive your form.

Step 1: Rent

This section requests rent and LHA details for a Housing Benefit Claim ( skip this step if you just want help with your Council Tax bill )

How much is your rent ( warning - the amount may be restricted for benefit purposes if you decide to make a claim ). Do not include charges for ineligible services such as meals and heating.

And, if applicable, enter your Local Housing Allowance. If this is a fresh claim and the rental is from a private landlord (not a Housing Association or similar) then the LHA figure will (mainly) be used instead of the contract rent. Weekly LHA rates are on the local council's website - they depend on the area and number of bedrooms appropriate for the claim. If the actual rent is more than the LHA, you pay the excess - if less, you are rewarded with a potential maximum HB of up to ?15 more than the rent !

Select the "rent period" ( how often rent is paid ). Fortnightly and monthly figures are automatically converted to weekly amounts.

Enter the number of rent free weeks ( if any ) in your rent year. Council tenants usually have 4 such weeks.

Step 2: Council Tax

This section requests your Council Tax details (skip this stage if you do not want help with your Council Tax bill)

Enter your actual Annual Council Tax bill ( without taking off any Council Tax Benefit you already get ).

Has this Council Tax bill already been discounted ?

Step 3: General

This section requests some General Information about you. If you answer "Yes" to this first question you can skip all the income questions (steps 7 to 11) because your income is assumed to be zero.

Are you (the claimant) on Income Support, income based Jobseekers Allowance or Pension Guarantee Credit?

Are you single or living with a partner as a couple ?

Enter your age (or the age of the oldest person in a couple)

Step 4: Disabilities

This section looks for claimant (and partner) disability or carer details (if any) - otherwise skip this block

Disability applies if you (or partner) "meet" one of these qualifying conditions:-

Do you get Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Invalid Vehicle Scheme or Motability, War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement, Severe Disablement Allowance, Incapacity Benefit (and you are the claimant, who is sick and been incapable of work for at least 52 weeks)?
Are you registered blind (or have regained your sight in the last 28 weeks)?

Do you (or your partner) get the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance?

Do these two statements apply to you ? (only say "yes" if both of them apply)

You (and partner) get care component of Disabilty Living Allowance (middle/high rate) or Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance (or 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,

Is someone getting (or entitled to) a Carer's Allowance for looking after one of you or your partner, or both of you ?

Does the person who is disabled (you or your partner) work an average of 16 hours or more a week ?

Are you, your partner, or both of you, being paid (or entitled to be paid) a Carer's Allowance for looking after someone ?

Step 5: Children and Young Persons

This section requests details of your children and young persons for whom child benefit is paid.

How many children aged under 16 do you or your partner get child benefit for?

Is there a baby (any child aged under one) in your family ?

How many young adults aged 16 to 19 years old do you or your partner get child benefit for?

How many children included above are disabled and receiving Disability Living Allowance or are registered blind?

How many of those children are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance at the highest care component rate?

Step 6: Single Lone Parent

This section requests details for single lone parents only - otherwise skip this step

Have you been receiving Housing/Council Tax Benefit without a break since 5th April 1998?

Step 7: Earnings

This section requests your earnings details - skip to step 12 if you are on Income Support, IS/JSA or PGC. Give figures for the claimant (and partner). Include average earnings from employment and self employment. Be sure to 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 work as a childminder how much do you earn from this? (Any earnings from childminding need to be counted separately from other earnings)

How much Income Tax and National Insurance is deducted ?

How much do you pay towards a pension scheme ?

How many hours are you (or your partner) each working in an average week? Select the highest.

Are you (or partner) 50 or over and recently off state benefits after at least six months on them - because now working 16 hours or more ?

Step 8: Unearned Income

This section requests your Unearned income figures for you (and your partner). Please make them weekly. Based on the number of children you have told us about you should get Child Benefit of ? - (automatically calculated)

Rent from non-family sub-tenants (meals not included). Do subtract a ?20.00 disregard from the weekly rent received from each one.

Income from non-family boarders (meals included). Deduct ?20.00 for each one.

Any maintenance received from a former partner or an absent parent ? Until the end of October 2008, this includes support/maintenance payments for a child unless you (or your partner) are aged 60 or over.

We do not count War Pensions, charitable payments or payments made as a result of personal injury as income. So do not enter them below.

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

Step 9: Savings

This section requests your Savings, Investments and other assets (claimant and partner). You cannot qualify for any Housing Benefit or (most) Council Tax Benefit if you and any partner have ?16,000 or more in savings and investments. The home you live in and personal possessions do not count.

How much is the value of all cash, savings, bank deposits, Tessas, PEP's, Unit Trusts, ISA's, building society accounts, Tax Credit arrears etc. and all "liquid assets".

How much is the value of "fixed" or non liquid assets and investments - shares, buildings and land (but not the house you are living in). Deduct 10% of the value to cover cost of sale.

Step 10: Childcare

This section requests your eligible 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 in remunerative work (at least 16 hours p/w) 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 prison. Costs of childcare in the child's own home by a close relative are excluded.

Enter the weekly childcare charges paid. Children count up to the September following their 15th birthday (or 16th if disabled).

Enter the weekly student loan or grant contribution which can also be set off against claimant (and partner) income.

Step 11: Tax and Pensions

This section looks for Tax and Pension Credits - income for (nearly) everyone from the Government! They get added to claim income.

If Credits are not actually being paid, be sure to stop the auto estimate by "unchecking" this box and skip the rest of this step.

If you do get them, enter weekly Working Tax Credit and (unless you or partner have reached the age of 60) Child TC here.

If you already know your Credits then enter your weekly Pension Credit figure here.

Otherwise, let this program do an estimate - based on the information you have already supplied. The result may not be fully accurate - but it will be very close. Our estimate might just need to know these extra details....

Between you and your partner, are you working 30 hours or more in an average week?

Are you (or your partner) a disabled adult on High Rate Attendance Allowance ?

Step 12: Non Rent Paying Adults

This section looks for other adults who live with you but pay no rent (often grown-up children) - but don't count your partner or students. These so called "non-dependants" are assumed to be contributing to the household income so a deduction is made from any benefit for each one. So do 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 in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance care component or Attendance Allowance has been awarded.

in the Top Earnings Category (?369+ p/w gross)

between ?296 and ?368.99 p/w gross earnings

between ?223 and ?295.99 p/w gross earnings

between ?220 and ?222.99 p/w gross earnings

between ?172 and ?219.99 p/w gross earnings

between ?169 and ?171.99 p/w gross earnings

between ?116 and ?168.99 p/w gross earnings

under ?116 p/w gross but works at least 16 hours

The number of non-dependants (working or otherwise) in receipt of any Pension Credit at all

Not on Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance (I.B.) or any Pension Credit and not working at least 16 hours p/w

Non-dependants who are under 25 and are on Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance (Income-based)

Non-dependants who are 25 or over and are on Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance (Income-based)

That's all you need to do! 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 p/w

How your benefit is worked out. If the Total Applicable Amount is higher than Net Weekly Income, Maximum Benefit is awarded. But if Net Weekly Income is higher than the Total Applicable Amount, 65% of the "excess income" is deducted from Maximum HB to find the award. For Council Tax Benefit a 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 CT Benefit. Alternative Council Tax Benefit is often called Second Adult Rebate. It is based on the income of the non-dependants. The 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.