Benefit cap

The cap applies to your household income from the benefits listed below:

• 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
• Universal Credit
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance (including widowed mother’s allowance and widow’s pension).

Use the benefit cap calculator to find out how it impacts you.

If the cap applies, the amount of money you get above the limit will be taken off your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit.

From April 2023 the amount you can receive in benefits before you are capped is increasing.

If you’re receiving Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, the cap outside Greater London is:

• £1835.00 per month or £423.46 a week if you’re a couple – with or without dependent children.
• £1835.00 per month or £423.46 a week if you’re a lone parent with dependent children.
• £1229.42 per month or £283.71 a week if you’re a single person without children.

If you’re receiving Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, the cap in Greater London is:

• £2110.25 per month or £486.98 a week if you’re a couple – with or without dependent children.
• £2110.25 per month or £486.98 a week if you’re a lone parent with dependent children.
• £1413.92 per month or £326.29 a week if you’re a single person without children.

Your benefit won’t be capped if you, or your partner (if you have one), or a child/young person for whom you are entitled to Child Benefit receive:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment.

Or you, or your partner (if you have one), are receiving:

• Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Payments or Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance (including where you are entitled but don’t actually receive it) or the Carer’s Element within Universal Credit
• Employment and Support Allowance that includes the support component or Universal Credit that includes the Limited Capability for Work and Related Activity element
• Guardian’s Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Benefit
• War Disablement Pension
• War Widow’s or Widower’s Pension.

Or you, or your partner (if you have one), are:

• Claiming Universal Credit and earn £722 or more a month combined, after tax and National Insurance contributions
• Claiming Housing Benefit and work enough hours to claim Working Tax Credit
• Old enough to claim Pension Credit. For this, both of a couple must be old enough to claim pension credit, not either/or.

Are there any benefits you can claim which aren’t included in the cap? Can you or a member of your household claim any benefit that would exempt you from the cap?

If you’re claiming Universal Credit, the cap won’t be applied for nine months if:

• You (and your partner) earned at least the amount you would get for working 16 hours per week at the National Minimum Wage for the previous 12 months.

If you’re claiming Housing Benefit, the cap won’t be applied for 39 weeks if:

• You (or your partner) were working for at least 50 out of the previous 52 weeks, and
• While you (or your partner) were working, you were not entitled to Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.

If you’re struggling because of the benefit cap, let us know by completing the form via your MyRaven online account.

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