There’s a limit to the total amount of benefit you can get. This is called the benefit cap.
The benefit cap amount for our area is:
- £384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) if you’re in a couple, whether your children live with you or not
- £384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) if you’re single and your children live with you
- £257.69 per week (£13,400 a year) if you’re single and you don’t have children, or your children don’t live with you
You’re not affected by the cap if you or your partner work, and either of the following apply:
- you or your partner receive or are eligible for Working Tax Credit
- you or your partner get Universal Credit, and your household income is more than £520 a month after tax and National Insurance
You are not affected by the benefit cap if you, your partner or children receive:
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or the Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Attendance Allowance (AA)
- The support component of employment and support allowance (ESA)
- Industrial injuries benefits
- War widows' or war widowers' pension
- Carer's allowance
- Carer’s element of universal credit
- Guardian's allowance
The benefit cap affects the following benefits:
- Bereavement Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Child Tax Credit
- Employment and Support Allowance (unless you get the ‘support’ component)
- Housing Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Maternity Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance (or Widowed Mother’s Allowance or Widows Pension if you started getting it before 9 April 2001)
- Universal Credit (unless you’ve had a work capability assessment and aren’t fit for work)