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Benefit cap

What is the Benefit cap?

The benefit cap limits the total amount of money someone can receive from all their benefits added together. If the total amount of benefit you receive is more than the allowed rate, then your benefit will be reduced to that rate. The allowed rates are:

  • £283.71 per week for single people without children
  • £423.46 per week for single parents, and couples with or without children

Any reduction in your benefits which is needed to bring you to the cap limit will be taken from your Housing Benefit, Local Housing Allowance or Universal Credit.

Exemptions

You're not affected by the cap if you or your partner work, and either of the following apply:

  • you or your partner are eligible for Working Tax Credit
  • you or your partner get Universal Credit, and your household income is more that £722 a month after Tax and National Insurance

You will be exempt from the cap if you or anyone in your household receives certain benefits such as

  • Adult Disability Payment
  • Armed Forces Independence Payment
  • Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Carer's Allowance
  • Carer Support Payment
  • Child Disability Payment
  • Disability Living Allowance
  • Employment and Support Allowance (if it includes the suppot component)
  • Guardian's Allowance
  • Industrial Injuries Benefits
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • War Pensions
  • War Widow's or War Widower's Pension
  • Universal Credit claimants who receive payments towards carer's costs

You can use the Benefit Cap Calculator to find out if you could be affected.

For more information about the benefit cap changes please visit www.Gov.UK/benefit-cap