The amount of benefit you receive depends on a number of factors, described on this page. The amount of money you have coming in
We will count your earnings and any other income you have (this will include your partner's earnings). Earnings include:
- Gross pay less tax, national insurance contributions and half of any contributions you may make to an occupational or personal pension. Some childcare charges may also be deducted
- Business profits after any allowable expenses are taken away
Other income includes:
- Any other money coming in such as an occupational pension, most social security benefits and pensions
We will not count certain benefits such as Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance. You should still declare that you receive these benefits as disabled persons may receive a higher rate of council tax benefit.
Your savings and other capital
We look at any savings you (and your partner) have. If your savings are £6,000 or less we will ignore them. If you have more than £6,000 but not more than £16,000 we will take this into account. If you have savings of more than £16,000 you will not get council tax benefit.
Your personal circumstances
Your personal circumstances needs to be looked at also. This may include such aspects as children, being disabled and who else lives in the household.
We will work out how much you need to live on. This depends on:
- Your age
- Whether you are single or have a partner
- How many dependent children you have and their ages
We will also take into account the needs of:
- Families
- Elderly people
- Disabled people and people who care for a disabled person
- One parent families
- People who have been sick for over 52 weeks or 28 weeks if they are terminally ill