fifedirect - Web Benefits 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 Housing Benefit / Council Tax Reduction will only start from the Monday after the Council receive your form.

Step 1

Rent and weekly LHA details for a Housing Benefit Claim ( skip Step 1 if you just want help with your Council Tax bill )

How much is your actual "contract" rent ? Warning - excessive amounts may be restricted for claim purposes. Do not include charges for ineligible services such as meals and heating.

Select the "rent period" ( how often contract 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 often have 2 or 4, so check locally.

Is your property rented from a RSL (a Housing association or similar) and 'under occupied' because of spare bedrooms ? If you are below State Pension age (see Step 3), the rent eligible for housing benefit is cut by 14% if your accommodation is considered to be 'under occupied' by one extra bedroom and 25% if you have two or more spare bedrooms. There will be many and varied exemptions from these cuts - contact the council for specific advice.

And, if applicable, enter your weekly Local Housing Allowance. So if this fresh rent claim is from a private landlord (not a Housing Association or similar) then use the "30th percentile" Local Housing Allowance figure. Weekly LHA rates are on the local council's website - they depend on the area and the number of bedrooms appropriate for the claim. N.B. the Shared Room Rate will apply to your claim if you are under 35 and single.

Step 2

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

Enter your Annual Council Tax bill ( taking off any water and sewerage charges - but without taking off any discount or Council Tax Reduction you already get ).

Has this Council Tax bill already been discounted ?

Step 3

General Information about you

Are you single or living with a partner (can be same gender) as a couple ?

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

Because you (or your partner) are 61, you could reach the State Pension qualifying age in this financial year. So select the actual date of birth slot - it can make a huge difference to your claim.

And then select a start date slot for this claim estimate "run" in the current financial year (April 2013 to the following April). Again, different start date slots could produce very different results.

Are you (the claimant) on Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Guarantee Credit?

If you answer "Yes" to this question you can skip all the income questions (steps 7 to 11) because your income will be entirely disregarded for the purposes of this calculation.

Step 4

Claimant (and partner) work capacity / health / disability issues or carer functions (if any) - otherwise skip this block.

Be sure to enter any Employment and Support Allowance payments down at Step 8 as other unearned income. Should you be one of the few Permitted Work earners (on the higher monetary limit) then you are likely to be awarded substantial benefit so do apply asap.
Where a partner gets the (higher) ESA support component, a couple might want to swap claim roles to increase potential HB/CTR.

If applicable, enter your (the HB/CTB claimant's) Employment and Support Allowance details for ESA Phase, ESA element and ESA component.

And, if applicable, enter your partner's Employment and Support Allowance details for ESA Phase, ESA element and ESA component.

Disability applies if you (or partner) can match one of these qualifying conditions:-
You get Attendance or Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Invalid Vehicle Scheme or Motability, War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement, Severe Disablement Allowance, Incapacity Benefit (paid at the long term rate) or you are registered blind (or regained your sight in the last 28 weeks)?
Or you (the claimant only) been off work sick for at least 52 weeks (28 if terminally ill) with medical evidence / sick notes ?

Do you (or your partner) get the highest rate of the DLA care component or the PIP enhanced rate daily living component ?

Do these two statements apply to you ? (only say "yes" if both of them apply) (1) You (and partner) get care component of DLA (middle/high rate) or the PIP daily living component or Attendance / Constant Attendance Allowance (or partner blind and you get one), and
(2) 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 or on ESA (you or partner) work an average of 16 hours or more a week ?

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

Step 5

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 ?

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 receiving DLA (highest care rate) or the enhanced rate daily living component of a PIP ?

Step 6

Details for single lone parents only - otherwise skip this step

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

Step 7

Earnings details. As mentioned at Step 3, skip to Step 12 if you are on IS, Income-based/related JSA/ESA 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.

Step 8

Unearned income figures for you (and your partner). Please make them weekly.

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.

Maintenance received from a former partner ? Child support/maintenance payments are disregarded so do not include them.

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 all Retirement Pensions, monies from annuities, Incapacity Benefit, Maternity or Carer's or Severe Disablement or Contribution-based Jobseeker's or Contributory Employment and Support Allowances. But do not include any Child Benefit, Tax/Pension/Return to Work Credits, interest on savings or Attendance, Disability Living, PIP, Mobility and Fostering Allowances or Community Care Payments.

Step 9

Savings, Investments and other assets (claimant and partner).

You cannot qualify for any Housing Benefit or (most) Council Tax Reduction 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,ISA's, building society accounts, Unit Trusts, 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 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 or on Statutory Sick, Maternity, Paternity or Adoption Pay or a similar benefit (up to 28 weeks). Each parent must be working at least 16 hours a week - but couples still qualify if one works and the partner is incapacitated, in hospital or prison. N.B. 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 Pension Credits - income for (nearly) everyone from the Government! They get added to claim income.

If you do get them, enter weekly Working Tax Credit and (unless you or partner have reached State Pension age) Child Tax Credit here.

And if you do get Pension Credit then enter your weekly Pension Credit figure here.

If you are not actually being paid any Credits, there is no such income so you should skip the rest of this step. But if you really want an auto estimate then the program can do one, "check" this box and it might just need to know the extra details below.

Between you and your partner, in an average week how many hours are you working? Only select "24 to 30" if one is working 16 hrs or more a week.

Are you or your partner working 16 hours or more p/w while the other is incapacitated, in prison, or hospital inpatient ?

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

Step 12

Adults who live with you and 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 are receiving a DLA care / PIP living component or Attendance Allowance has been awarded.

in the Top Earnings Category (£401+ per week gross)

between £322 and £400.99 p/w gross earnings

between £242 and £321.99 p/w gross earnings

between £239 and £241.99 p/w gross earnings

between £186 and £238.99 p/w gross earnings

between £183 and £185.99 p/w gross earnings

between £126 and £182.99 p/w gross earnings

under £126 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

The number of non-dependants (any age) on Employment and Support Allowance Contribution-based (C)

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

The number of non-dependants who are under 25 and are on IS, JSA or assessment phase income-related ESA(IR)

The number of non-dependants who are 25 or over and in receipt of IS, income-related ESA (IR) or JSA: Or under 25 and on main phase income-related ESA(IR).

That is 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 Reduction, 20% of the "excess income" taper is deducted from the maximum award. NB Non-dependant deductions are also taken off at this stage.

Final Calculation result is £

Weekly Main

Benefit Award

Later in 2013 a cap may be put on the total amount of Benefits you can get, one of which is Housing Benefit. No cap will apply to Council Tax Reduction.

Final Calculation result is £

Weekly "Main"

Council Tax Reduction

Alternative Council Tax Reduction is often called Second Adult Reduction. It is based on the income of the non-dependants. The program calculates if you are better off with an award based on your circumstances or your non-dependants.

Alternative result is £

Second adult

rebate weekly CT reduction

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

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