Changes to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit from April
2011
From April 2011 the Government is making several changes to
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Changes that could affect all Housing Benefit and Council Tax
Benefit claims
Other people living with you:
If you have a non-dependant adult living with you, for example,
an adult son or daughter, a charge is usually applied to your
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit called a non-dependant
deduction which reduces the amount you are awarded.
These charges normally increase every April. From April 2011,
however, the Government is increasing them by higher amounts thani
n previous years. This is because the deductions have not increased
as much as they should have done over recent years and the larger
increases are bringing them up to what they should have been.
For details of what the new deductions see below.
|
Non-dependant's income or
circumstances from April 2011
|
Weekly Housing Benefit
deduction
|
Weekly Council Tax Benefit
deduction
|
|
In receipt of Income
Support, or
Jobseekers Allowance (Income
Based), or
Main phase Employment and
Support Allowance
(Income Related)
|
Aged under 25:
£0.00
|
Aged 25 or over:
£9.40
|
Aged 18 and over:
£0.00
|
|
In receipt of Pension
Credit
|
£0.00
|
£0.00
|
|
Aged 18 or over and
not working more than 16 hours:
|
£9.40
|
£2.85
|
|
Aged 18 or over and working
at least 16 hours where:
|
|
|
|
Gross income (before tax and
deductions) is less than £122.00 per week
|
£9.40
|
£2.85
|
|
Gross income is £122.00 to
£179.99 per week
|
£21.55
|
£2.85
|
|
Gross income is £180.00 to
£233.99 per week
|
£29.60
|
£5.70
|
|
Gross income is £234.00 to
£309.99 per week
|
£48.45
|
£5.70
|
|
Gross income is £310.00 to £386.99 per
week
|
£55.20
|
£7.20
|
|
Gross income is £387.00 and above per
week
|
£60.60
|
£8.60
|
Changes to Housing Benefit for people who rent from private
landlords
Local Housing Allowance changes
Local Housing Allowance rates are the maximum amount that can be
paid in Housing Benefit to claims that have been made after April
2008. These rates apply to most tenants who rent their home from a
private landlord. These rates do not apply to housing association
or council tenants.
If you rent your home from a private landlord and made your
claim after April 2008, it is likely that these changes will apply
to you.
From April 2011:
- All Local Housing Allowance rates will be
reduced
- The 5 bedroom rate of Local Housing Allowance
will no longer be paid.
The current Local Housing Allowance rates and
the likely new rates are set out below:
|
|
Shared Accommodation
|
1 Bed
|
2 Bed
|
3 Bed
|
4 Bed
|
5 Bed
|
|
Current Rates
|
£60.00
|
£103.85
|
£126.92
|
£138.46
|
£196.15
|
£300.00
|
|
Estimated New Rates
|
£60.00
|
£98.80
|
£115.38
|
£132.69
|
£173.08
|
£173.08
|
Protection for Existing Claimants
If you are already claiming benefit the above changes will not
apply to you until at least January 2012. You will receive 9
months’ protection after the anniversary date of your claim.
For example: if you claimed benefit in August 2010, your
anniversary date will normally be August 2011, your protection
would last for 9 months from that date: from August 2011 to May
2012.
If you have had a change in household since you made your claim
these changes may affect you earlier.
If you move address after April this protection will be
lost and the changes will apply immediately. You may also lose the
protection if there is a change in your household.
Removal of £15 Extra Benefit
At present tenants can receive up to £15 extra benefit if their
rent is lower than their Local Housing Allowance rate. This will
stop for new claimants from April 2011. If you already get the
extra money, this will stop from the anniversary of your claim.
An additional Room for Carers
From April 2011 an allowance will be made for an extra bedroom
where a disabled claimant or their partner has a proven need for
overnight care. The care must be provided by someone who does not
normally live in the property and an extra room must be available
for the carer.