How much is your rent ? Warning - the amount may be restricted for benefits purposes
Do not include charges for ineligible services such as meals and heating.

Select the "rent period" ( how often rent is paid ). Fortnightly and monthly figures are automatically converted to weekly amounts.

Enter the number of rent free weeks ( if any ) in your rent year. Gateshead Council tenants have 2 rent free weeks.

If this is a fresh claim and you rent from a private landlord not a housing association the the Local Housing Allowance figure will be used instead of the actual rent (You can calculate your Local Housing Allowance using our online calculator - Link opens in a new window). If applicable, enter this figure.

Weekly LHA rates are also on the council website - they depend on the number of bedrooms appropriate for the claim. If the actual rent is higher than the LHA, you pay the excess - if it is less, you may receive up to £15 more than the rent.

Enter your actual Annual Council Tax due after deducting any discount, but before any benefit

Do you receive a discount?

Are you single or living with a partner (can be same gender) as a couple?

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

Are you (the claimant) on Income Support,  income based Jobseekers Allowance or Pension Guarantee Credit?

Disability applies if you (or partner) meet one of these qualifying conditions:-

• Do you get Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Invalid Vehicle Scheme or Motability, War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement, Severe Disablement Allowance
• Or, if you are the claimant and have been incapable of work for at least 52 weeks, Incapacity Benefit
• Or are you registered blind (or have been blind but regained your sight in the last 28 weeks)

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

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

1. You and your partner get:

• The care component of Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate,
• Or Attendance Allowance
• Or Constant Attendance Allowance or your partner is blind and you get one of the two.

2. And:

• No other adult lives in your home (except for your partner, other disabled persons, your carer, your landlord or other tenants).

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

If you or your partner are disabled, does the disabled person work 16 hours or more per week?

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

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

Is there a baby (any child aged under one) in your family ?

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

How many of these children are disabled and receiving Disability Living Allowance or are registered blind?

How many of these children receive Disability Living Allowance at the highest care component rate?

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

Please supply 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 ?

Please select the highest number of hours you or your partner work in an average week

Are you (or partner) :

• Aged 50 or over; and
• Working 16 hours or more in an average week; and
• Have recently stopped receiving state benefits after receiving them for at least six months ?

Based on the number of children you have told us about you should get Child Benefit of £
This is automatically calculated.

Amount of rent received from sub-tenants who are not family (meals not included).
***Please subtract a £20.00 disregard from the weekly rent received from each one. (checking details)

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

How much maintenance and Child Support Payments do you receive?

Unearned Income
Do not include: War Pensions, charitable payments or payments made as a result of personal injury, Tax/Pension/Return to Work Credits, interest on savings or Attendance, Disability Living, Mobility and Fostering Allowances or Community Care Payments
Please include all other sources: For example Retirement Pensions, Incapacity Benefit, Carer's Allowance and Severe Disablement Allowances.

You cannot qualify for any Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit if you and your partner have £16,000 or more in savings and investments.
The home you live in and personal possessions do not count.

How much in capital do you have?
For example: savings, bank deposits, Tessas, PEP's, Unit Trusts, ISA's, building society accounts, Tax Credit arrears etc. and all "liquid assets"

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

Couples or lone parents who work 16 hours or more per week or who are on Statutory Sick, Maternity, Paternity or Adoption Pay or a similar benefit (up to 28 weeks) can have charges for registered or approved childcare deducted from their income.
(Couples still qualify if one works and the partner is incapacitated, in hospital or prison.)
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 the claimant and partners income.

If you do not receive Tax or Pension Credits please uncheck this box and skip to step 12

If you receive Tax Credits please enter your weekly Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit here.

Or if you receive Pension Credits please enter your weekly Pension Credit here.

Based on the information you have already supplied we will estimate your tax and pension credit entitlement.
The estimate will be based on the information you have provided and will not necessarily reflect tax and pension credits you currently receive.
This means that we need to know some extra details:

Do you and your partner work a total of 30 hours or more per week?

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

"Non-dependants" are assumed to be contributing to the household income so your benefit entitlement may be reduced for each one.
Please enter the number of non-dependants in each of these Income Categories
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 please skip this step and go to 'Calculate'

in the Top Earnings Category (£369+ per week gross)

between £296 and £368.99 p/w gross earnings

between £223 and £295.99 p/w gross earnings

between £220 and £222.99 p/w gross earnings

between £172 and £219.99 p/w gross earnings

between £169 and £171.99 p/w gross earnings

between £116 and £168.99 p/w gross earnings

under £116 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

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

The number of non-dependants who are under 25 and are on Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance (Income-based)

The number of non-dependants who are 25 or over and are on Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance (Income-based)

That is all you need to do!     Click        and let the program work it out    

The total Applicable Amount figure is   (automatically calculated)

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, 20% of the "excess income" taper is deducted from the maximum award. NB Non-dependant deductions are also taken off at this stage.

Final Calculation result is £    Weekly Housing Benefit Award    

Final Calculation result is £     Weekly "Main" Council Tax Benefit       

Alternative Council Tax Benefit (alo called Second Adult Rebate) is based on the income of non-dependants.
The program calculates if you are better off with a benefit award based on your circumstances or those of your non-dependants.

Alternative result is £    Second adult rebate (weekly)       

Finally you can:

• Use the browser Print button to print a copy of this calculation; or
• Scroll back up the page to edit or change the figures; or
• Press to start again.