Capping your benefit

From November 2016, if you are unemployed the government will assess all of your benefits and cap the amount you receive. The cap for those living outside of London is:

• £384.62 a week (£20,000 a year) if you're in a couple, whether your children live with you or not
  
• £384.62 a week (£20,000 a year) if you're single and your children live with you
  
• £257.69 a week (£13,400 a year) if you're single and you don't have children, or your children don't live with you
  

All of the following benefits listed will be added up and if the overall total comes to more than the limit, your housing benefit will be reduced:

• Housing benefit
• Jobseekers allowance
• Income support
• Employment support allowance
• Child benefit
• Child tax credits
  

An example of this is:

Mr and Mrs Brown live with their five children in a three-bedroom house. They receive:

• £120 per week housing benefit
• £73.90 child benefit
• £118.45 jobseekers allowance
• £150 child tax credits

This comes to a total of £462.35 a week, taking them £77.73 over the limit. This amount will be deducted from their housing benefit so the Browns will have a revised housing benefit award of £42.27 per week and will have to make up the shortfall in the rent.