
Please head to our Coronavirus FAQs for more information on our response to the announced tier 5 national lockdown. [Updated 06/01/2021]
The Benefit Cap is the maximum amount of benefits you are allowed to receive each week. The total amount you can currently claim is:
You should check now to see if you are going to be affected by the benefit cap. It will depend on the size of your family, the weekly rent for your home and which benefits you receive.
If you think you may be affected by the cap then please contact your Income Management Officer, who will be able to offer information and refer you for support and training. They will also be able to put you in touch with Support Agencies who can offer advice.
You can also use the Government’s online calculator to see how much your benefits may change at www.gov.uk/benefit-cap. Finding work or increasing the amount of hours you already work, so that you are eligible for Working Tax Credit, will mean that the cap won’t apply to you.
The benefits that are counted towards the cap include:
Exceptions
If you currently receive certain benefits then the cap will not apply and you will receive your full benefit allowance. You will not be affected by the new lower cap if you receive:
You will also not be affected if:
The Benefit Cap will also not be applied for the first 39 weeks if you have recently been in paid employment for 50 of the 52 weeks before your last day of work.