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Benefits Calculator

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 as soon as possible.
If you qualify for Benefit it will normally be awarded from the Monday following the date you first contact the Council for an application form. This form must be returned to the Council within one month of the date it is issued.
For further information please see the main Benefits page
If you are a private tenant you will need to know if you come under the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) scheme - please see our main main LHA web page for further information.

Step 1: Rent

This section requests rent and weekly LHA details for a Housing Benefit claim (skip Step 1 if you just want help with your Council Tax bill)

If you are a council tenant enter the rent charged less any ineligible heating or support charges.
If you are a private tenant who comes under the LHA scheme enter the full rent charged.
If you are a private tenant who does not come under the LHA scheme enter the rent charged less any ineligible services included in your rent, for example meals, fuel, water charges. The figure used by the council may be based on the Rent Service’s valuation of your accommodation which may be less than the rent charged.

How often do you pay your rent? 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.

If you are a private tenant who comes under the LHA scheme, enter your weekly Local Housing Allowance. If your rent is more than the LHA, you pay the difference. If your rent is less than the LHA you may be rewarded with HB of up to £15 more than the rent.

Step 2: Council Tax

This section requests your Council Tax details (skip Step 2 if you do not want help with your Council Tax)

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 will be entirely disregarded for the purposes of this calculation.

Are you (the claimant) on Income Support, income based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support 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 asks about the claimant and partner's disability benefits and caring responsibilities. Where the claimant or partner receives Employment & Support Allowance (ESA), the amount of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit can be different depending on which of the couple is the claimant and which the partner. If this applies to you do the calculation twice - once with you as the claimant and once with your partner as the claimant.

If applicable, enter your (the Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit claimant's) details for ESA type, ESA component and ESA phase. The amount of ESA should be entered at Step 8.

And, if applicable, your partner's details for ESA type, ESA component and ESA phase.

Disability applies if you or your partner match one of these qualifying conditions:

You receive 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 you or your partner are registered blind (or regained your sight in the last 28 weeks)
Or you (the claimant only) have 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 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 the care component of Disability Living Allowance (middle/high rate) or Attendance Allowance or your partner is blind and you receive the care component of Disability Living Allowance (middle/high rate) or Attendance Allowance, and
No other adult lives in your home except your partner. Please ignore disabled people, your carer, your 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 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 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 or young adults included above are disabled and receiving Disability Living Allowance or are registered blind?

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

Is this estimate running from October 2009 onwards (when Child Benefit no longer counts as income)?

Step 6: Lone Parent

This section requests details for 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. Give figures for the claimant and partner, if applicable. Include average earnings from employment and self employment. You can enter weekly or monthly amounts. Be sure to enter weekly figures in the Weekly box only and Monthly figures in the Monthly box only.

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

Weekly:

Monthly:

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)

Weekly:

Monthly:

How much Income Tax and National Insurance is deducted?

Weekly:

Monthly:

How much do you pay towards a pension scheme?

Weekly:

Monthly:

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 have recently come 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, but disregarded from October 2009).

Rent from non-family sub-tenants (meals not included).

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 or maintenance received in respect of a child is disregarded so should not be included.

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, Carers Allowance, Severe Disablement Pension or Employment & Support Allowances. Do not include Tax Credits, Pension Credit or Return to Work Credits, interest on savings, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Fostering Allowance or Community Care Payments.

Step 9: Savings

This section requests your Savings, Investments and other assets (claimant and partner). You usually cannot qualify for any Housing Benefit or 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, PEPs, Unit Trusts, ISAs, building society accounts, 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). 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).

If you or your partner has to make a parental contribution to a student loan or grant, enter the weekly amount of the contribution.

Step 11: Tax Credit and Pension Credit

This section looks for Tax Credits and Pension Credits.

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

If you get Pension Credit, enter the weekly amount here.

If you are not actually being paid any Credits, you do not have to complete Step 11. If you really want an auto estimate of any Credits you may be entitled to then the program can do one, "check" this box and it might just need to know the extra details below. The program will add the estimated credits to your other income and calculate Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit on the total income.

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). 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 ignore your partner or any students.

Skip this step if you (or your partner) are blind, in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance care component or in receipt of Attendance Allowance.

In the Top Earnings Category (£382+ p/w gross)

Between £306 and £381.99 p/w gross earnings

Between £231 and £305.99 p/w gross earnings

Between £228 and £230.99 p/w gross earnings

Between £178 and £227.99 p/w gross earnings

Between £175 and £177.99 p/w gross earnings

Between £120 and £174.99 p/w gross earnings

Under £120 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

Number of non-dependants (any age) on ESA(C)

Not on Income Support (IS), income-based Jobseekers Allowance, ESA or any Pension Credit and not working at least 16 hours p/w

Non-dependants who are under 25 and are on IS, Jobseekers Allowance or ESA(IR)

Non-dependants who are 25 or over and are on IS, income-related ESA (IR) or Jobseekers Allowance OR under 25 and on main phase income-related ESA(IR).

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.

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Lancaster City Council
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