Housing Benefit

The total amount of household benefits that working age claimants can get is capped.

The cap is set at the level of the average take-home pay. You can find benefit cap guidance and a cap calculator on the UK Government website.

The cap is:

• £283.71 per week (£14,753 per year) for single people with no children.
• £423.46 per week (£22,020 per year) for couples with or without children, and single parents.

The cap will be delayed for 39 weeks if you or your partner have worked for 50 weeks or more in the last 52 weeks.

If your Benefits are restricted due to the Benefit Cap you can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment

Exempt from the cap

The benefit cap will not apply if you, your partner, or any children living with you can get any of these benefits:

• Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
• Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment
• Child Disability Payment
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Employment and Support Allowance (if you get the support component)
• Guardian’s Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Benefits (and equivalent payments as part of a War Disablement Pension or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme)
• Pension Age Disability Payment
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
• War pensions
• War Widow’s or War Widower’s Pension