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And, if applicable, enter your weekly Local Housing Allowance. If this is a fresh claim and the rental is from a private landlord (not a Housing Association or similar) then the LHA figure will (mainly) be used instead of the contract rent. Weekly LHA rates are on the local council's website - they depend on the area and number of bedrooms appropriate for the claim. For new claims from April, the weekly LHA on a property cannot exceed £250 for one bedroom, £290 for two, £340 for three and £400 for four (or more) bedrooms. N.B. the Shared Room Rate will apply to your claim if you are under 25 and single.

Enter your actual Annual Council Tax bill ( without taking off any Council Tax Benefit you already get ).

Has this Council Tax bill already been discounted ?

This section requests some General Information about you. If you answer "Yes" to this first question you can skip all the income questions (steps 7 to 11) because your income will be entirely disregarded for the purposes of this calculation.

Are you (the claimant) on Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Guarantee Credit?

Are you single or living with a partner as a couple ?

Enter your age (or the age of the oldest person in a couple)

Because you (or your partner) are 60/61, you could reach the State Pension qualifying age in this financial year. So select the actual date of birth slot - it can make a huge difference to your claim.

And then select a start date slot for this claim estimate "run" in the current financial year (April 2011 to the following April). Again, different start date slots could produce very different results.

This section looks for claimant (and partner) work capacity / health / disability issues or carer functions (if any) - otherwise skip this step. Should you be one of the few Permitted Work earners (on the higher monetary limit) then you are likely to be awarded substantial benefit so do apply asap. Be sure to enter any Employment and Support Allowance payments down at Step 8 as other unearned income. Where a partner gets the (higher) ESA support component, a couple might want to swap claim roles to increase potential HB/CTB.

If applicable, enter your (the HB/CTB claimant's) Employment and Support Allowance details for ESA Phase, ESA element and ESA component.

And your partner's Employment and Support Allowance details for ESA phase, element and component, if applicable.

Disability applies if you (or partner) can match one of these qualifying conditions:-
You get Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Invalid Vehicle Scheme or Motability, War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement, Severe Disablement Allowance, Incapacity Benefit (paid at the long term rate) or you are registered blind (or regained your sight in the last 28 weeks)?
Or you (the claimant only) have been off work sick for at least 52 weeks (28 if terminally ill) with medical evidence / sick notes ?

Do you (or your partner) get the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance?

Do these two statements apply to you ? (only say "yes" if both of them apply)

You (and partner) get care component of Disability Living Allowance (middle/high rate) or Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance (or partner blind and you get one), and
No other adult lives in your home except your partner, other than disabled persons, your carer, landlord or other tenants,

Is someone getting (or entitled to) a Carer's Allowance for looking after one of you or your partner, or both of you ?

Does the person who is disabled or on ESA (you or your partner) work an average of 16 hours or more a week ?

Are you, your partner, or both of you, being paid (or entitled to be paid) a Carer's Allowance for looking after someone ?

How many children aged under 16 do you or your partner get child benefit for?

How many young adults aged 16 to 19 years old do you or your partner get child benefit for?

How many children included above are disabled and receiving Disability Living Allowance or are registered blind?

How many of those children are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance at the highest care component rate?

Have you been receiving Housing/Council Tax Benefit without a break since 5th April 1998?

This section requests your earnings details. As mentioned at Step 3, skip to step 12 if you are on Income Support, Income-based JSA, Income-related ESA or PGC. Give figures for the claimant (and partner). Include average earnings from employment and self employment. Be sure to enter weekly figures in the Weekly column only and Monthly figures in the Monthly column only.

£ Weekly

£ Monthly

How much do you and your partner earn (before deductions)? (Do not count expenses paid by your employer)

If you work as a childminder how much do you earn from this? (Any earnings from childminding need to be counted separately from other earnings)

How much Income Tax and National Insurance is deducted ?

How much do you pay towards a pension scheme ?

How many hours are you (or your partner) each working in an average week? Select the highest.

Are you (or partner) 50 or over and recently off state benefits after at least six months on them - because now working 16 hours or more ?

Rent from non-family sub-tenants (meals not included). Do subtract a £20.00 disregard from the weekly rent received from each one.

Income from non-family boarders (meals included). Deduct £20.00 for each one.

Maintenance received from a former partner ? Child support/maintenance payments are disregarded so do not include them.

Unearned income from all other sources each week. Include Retirement Pensions, monies from annuities, Incapacity Benefit, Maternity or Carer's or Severe Disablement or Contribution-based Jobseeker's or Contributory Employment and Support Allowances. But do not include any Child Benefit , Tax/Pension/Return to Work Credits, interest on savings or Attendance, Disability Living, Mobility and Fostering Allowances or Community Care Payments.

This section requests your Savings, Investments and other assets (claimant and partner). You cannot qualify for any Housing Benefit or (most) Council Tax Benefit if you and any partner have £16,000 or more in savings and investments. The home you live in and personal possessions do not count.

How much is the value of all cash, savings, bank deposits, Tessas, PEP's, Unit Trusts, ISA's, building society accounts, Tax Credit arrears etc. and all "liquid assets".

How much is the value of "fixed" or non liquid assets and investments - shares, buildings and land (but not the house you are living in). Deduct 10% of the value to cover cost of sale.

This section requests your eligible childcare charges (up to £175 p/w for 1 child or £300 for more) and student expenses. Charges for registered or approved childcare can be deducted from the income of couples or lone parents in remunerative work or on Statutory Sick, Maternity, Paternity or Adoption Pay or a similar benefit (up to 28 weeks). Each parent must be working at least 16 hours a week - but couples still qualify if one works and the partner is incapacitated, in hospital or prison. N.B. costs of childcare in the child's own home by a close relative are excluded.

Enter the weekly childcare charges paid. Children count up to the September following their 15th birthday (or 16th if disabled).

Enter the weekly student loan or grant contribution which can also be set off against claimant (and partner) income.

If you do get them, enter weekly Working Tax Credit and (unless you or partner have reached the age of 60) Child Tax Credit here.

If you already know your Credits then enter your weekly Pension Credit figure here.

If you are not actually being paid any Credits, there is no such income so you should skip the rest of this step. But if you really want an auto estimate then the program can do one, "check" this box and it might just need to know the extra details below.

Between you and your partner, are you working 30 hours or more in an average week?

Are you (or your partner) a disabled adult on High Rate Attendance Allowance ?

This section looks for other adults who live with you but pay no rent (often grown-up children) - but don't count your partner or students. These so called "non-dependants" are assumed to be contributing to the household income so a deduction is made from any benefit for each one. So do enter the number of non-dependants in each of these Income Categories but skip this step if you (or your partner) is disabled due to blindness, or in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance care component or Attendance Allowance has been awarded.

in the Top Earnings Category (£387+ p/w gross)

between £310 and £386.99 p/w gross earnings

between £234 and £309.99 p/w gross earnings

between £231 and £233.99 p/w gross earnings

between £180 and £230.99 p/w gross earnings

between £177 and £179.99 p/w gross earnings

between £122 and £176.99 p/w gross earnings

under £122 p/w gross but works at least 16 hours

The number of non-dependants (working or otherwise) in receipt of any Pension Credit at all

Number of non-dependants (any age) on Employment and Support Allowance Contribution-based (C)

Not on Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance (I.B.), ESA or any Pension Credit and not working at least 16 hours p/w

Non-dependants who are under 25 and are on IS, JSA or assessment phase income-related ESA(IR)

Non-dependants who are 25 or over and are on IS, income-related ESA (IR) or JSA: Or under 25 and on main phase income-related ESA(IR).

The total Net Weekly Income figure is (automatically calculated) including Tax / Pension Credits p/w

How your benefit is worked out. If the Total Applicable Amount is higher than Net Weekly Income, Maximum Benefit is awarded. But if Net Weekly Income is higher than the Total Applicable Amount, 65% of the "excess income" is deducted from Maximum HB to find the award. For Council Tax Benefit a 20% of the "excess income" taper is deducted from the maximum award. NB Non-dependant deductions are also taken off at this stage.

Weekly Housing Benefit Award: Weekly Main Council tax Benefit is:

Alternative Result is: Second adult rebate weekly CT Benefit. Alternative Council Tax Benefit is often called Second Adult Rebate. It is based on the income of the non-dependants. The program calculates if you are better off with a benefit award based on your circumstances or your non-dependants.

And finally you can use the browser Print button to launch a print or change your figures to calculate again or the whole lot.