Benefit cap
The benefit cap is a limit to the total amount a household can receive in certain benefits.
Weekly benefit cap
- £350 a week for single adults
- £500 a week for couples
- £500 a week for single parents
This may mean the amount of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit you get will go down to make sure that the total amount you get is not more than the cap level.
Who will be affected
The benefit cap affects:
- Universal Credit
- Bereavement Support Payment
- Child Benefit
- Child Tax Credit
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Maternity Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance (or Widowed Mother’s Allowance or Widow’s Pension if you started getting it before 9 April 2001)
Who will not be affected
You are not affected by the cap if you or your partner get:
- Working Tax Credit (even if the amount you get is £0)
- Universal Credit and you and your partner earn £658 or more a month combined, after tax and National Insurance contributions
You are also not affected by the cap if you, your partner or any children under 18 living with you gets:
- Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Employment and Support Allowance (if you get the support component)
- Guardian’s Allowance
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (and equivalent payments as part of a War Disablement Pension or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- War Pension Scheme
- War Widow(er) Pension Scheme
People who work a minimum of 16 hours per week, or couples who work a minimum of 25 hours per week combined will be exempt from the cap.
Those claiming Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will also be exempt.
When Personal Independence Payment (PIP) replaces DLA, those who do not qualify for the new benefit will be liable to the benefit cap.
Find more information about the benefit cap at GOV.UK.