The Benefit Cap & Universal Credit
Single people cannot get more than £1,117/ month in certain benefits (see below). Couples, and lone parents with children, cannot get more than £1,667/ month in these benefits.
The following benefits all count towards the £1,117 or £1,667 limit:
- Universal Credit (minus childcare costs)
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Employment & Support Allowance (unless you or your partner are in the ‘support group’, in which case you will be exempt from the cap)
- Bereavement Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Maternity Allowance
- Widowed mother’s allowance
- Widowed parent’s allowance
- Widow’s Pension
If your income from the benefits above is more than your £1,117 or £1,667 limit, your Universal Credit will be reduced. Use the Turn2Us benefit calculator to work out how much you will lose.
If you or your partner are working, and together you were earning at least £430 per month after tax and national insurance in each of the 12 months before applying for Universal Credit, the benefit cap will not affect you for the first 9 months of your claim.
If your income falls below £430 per month while you are already claiming Universal Credit, but you we earning at least £430 per month in each of the previous 12 months, the benefit cap will not affect you for the next 9 months of your claim.
If the cap is going to affect you in the future, click here to see what you can do about it.