South Gloucestershire Council

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Benefit cap

From 7 November 2016, the maximum amount of money that you can be paid if you claim certain benefits is:

• £384.62 per week for couples (with or without children) or a single parent
• £257.69 per week for a single person not living with children

The benefit cap doesn’t apply to families who are entitled to working tax credits, or if you, your partner or children receive one of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal independent payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Support component of Employment and Support Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Benefit
• War Widow’s or War Widower’s Pension
• Carer’s Allowance
• Guardian’s Allowance

For help getting into work please contact your local Job Centre Plus.

If you have any questions about how this will affect your entitlement to housing benefit, please contact our office on 01454 868002.

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is currently live in South Gloucestershire for a limited number of customers. From 1 January 2018 the DWP will no longer accept new claims for Universal Credit in our area, so you will need to claim housing benefit, Job Seeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and tax credits if you do not already have a Universal Claim. Please contact our office or the DWP if you are unsure what benefit you need to claim.

New claims of Universal Credit for everyone will start in South Gloucestershire in September and October 2018. For further information please refer to our Universal Credit webpage.