How do you work out my Housing Benefit?
If you get Guarantee Credit, Income Support (I/S), income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA-IB), or some forms of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) we will pay you full benefit. This is the highest amount of Housing Benefit you can get.
This does not always mean we will pay your rent in full. There may be a shortfall because:
If you do not get Guarantee Credit, Income Support (I/S), income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA-IB), or some forms of Employment Support Allowance (ESA), we have to work out how much benefit we can pay. This is called "Means Testing".
We do this by comparing the amount the Government says you need to live on each week (your "applicable amount") with your income.
If your income is less than or equal to your applicable amount, you will get full benefit. However there may still be a shortfall.
If your income is more than your applicable amount, we have to take some of the difference off your benefit.
To work out Housing Benefit, for every £1 of income you have over your applicable amount, we take 65 pence off your benefit.
The Government says that if your Housing Benefit is less than 50 pence a week, we cannot pay you anything.
You can use our Benefits Calculator to estimate how much benefit you might be entitled to.
How much financial help could I receive towards my rent and for how long?
The amount of Housing Benefit you will receive depends on:
- How much rent you are liable to pay
- Your (and your partner's) weekly income
- Any savings or investments you (and your partner) may have
- Your age and the age
- The ages and incomes of any other people who may live with you.
How long it is paid for will depend on your circumstances. Normally once we have calculated your entitlement you will continue to receive that amount unless you have a change in circumstances.
You can use our Benefits Calculator to estimate how much benefit you might be entitled to.
Does Housing Benefit cover all my rent?
If you are in a council property, housing benefit only covers your basic rent. This is called your eligible rent. Charges for some services are taken off your rent before we work out your housing benefit. The amount taken off is either the amount you pay or, if this is not known, a fixed amount set by the Government.
If you are renting from a private landlord, and you have claimed for Housing Benefits after 6th April 2008 you will fall under the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) scheme. Each month we publish the LHA rates we will use to decide what a reasonable rent is for your property, and you will receive housing benefit according to that. If the LHA rate is less than your actual rent, your housing benefit will not cover all your rent and you will still have to pay something towards it.
We will always write to you to tell you if this is the case. We will also ask you to consider applying for a 'Discretionary Housing Payment' (DHP) to help you with the shortfall.
