Portsmouth City Council benefit calculator

And, if applicable, enter your weekly LHA.

If this is a new claim and the rental is from a private landlord, not a housing association or similar, then the LHA figure will mainly be used instead of the contract rent.

Weekly LHA rates are on our main site. They depend on the area and number of bedrooms appropriate for the claim.

If the actual rent is more than the LHA, you will have to pay the excess. If less, you are rewarded with a potential maximum housing benefit of up to £15 more than the rent.

Enter your actual annual council tax bill, without taking off any benefit you already get.

Has this bill already been discounted?

This section asks for some general information about you.

If you answer yes to the first question, you can skip all the income questions (steps 7 to 11) because your income will be entirely disregarded for the purposes of this calculation.

Are you (the person claiming) on Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Guarantee Credit?

Are you single or living with a partner as a couple?

Enter your age, or the age of the oldest person in a couple.

This section asks about your (and your partner's) work capacity, health and disability issues or carer functions, if any. If none of this applies you can skip this step.

Be sure to enter any Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) payments at step 8 as other unearned income. Where a partner gets the (higher) ESA support component, a couple might want to swap claim roles to increase their potential housing/council tax benefit.

If applicable, select your (the person that's claiming housing/council tax benefit) ESA details for ESA phase, ESA element and ESA component.

You will need to enter the amount of ESA you receive in step 8.

If applicable, select your partner's ESA details for ESA phase, ESA element and ESA component.

You will need to enter the amount of ESA they receive in step 8.

Are you classed as disabled?

Disability applies if you (or your partner) match one of these qualifying conditions:

You get Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Invalid Vehicle Scheme or Motability, War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement, Severe Disablement Allowance, Incapacity Benefit (paid at the long term rate), or you are registered blind or regained your sight in the last 28 weeks.

Or you (the person claiming only) have been off work sick for at least 52 weeks, 28 if terminally ill, with medical evidence/sick notes.

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

Do these two statements apply to you? Only say yes if both of them apply.

You (and your partner) get care component of Disability Living Allowance (middle/high rate) or Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance (or your partner is blind and you get one), and
No other adult lives in your home except your partner, other than disabled persons, your carer, landlord or other tenants.

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

Does the person who is disabled or on ESA (you or your partner) work an average of 16 hours or more a week ?

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

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 years old do you, or your partner, get child benefit for?

How many children included above are disabled and receiving Disability Living Allowance, or are registered blind?

How many of those children are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance at the highest care component rate?

Is this estimate running from October 2009 onwards, when child benefit no longer counts as income?

Have you been receiving housing/council tax benefit without a break since 5 April 1998?

This section asks about your earnings details.

As mentioned in step 3, skip to step 12 if you are on Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Guarantee Credit.

Give figures for you (the person claiming) and your partner, if you have one. 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?

How many hours are you (or your partner) each working in an average week? Select the highest.

Are you (or your partner) 50 or over and recently off state benefits after at least six months on them, because you are now working 16 hours or more?

This section asks about your unearned income for you (and your partner). Please make all amounts weekly.

Based on the number of children you have told us about you should get child benefit of £ - this is automatically calculated, but disregarded from October 2009.

Rent from non-family sub-tenants (meals not included). Deduct £20 from the weekly rent received from each one.

Income from non-family boarders (meals included). Deduct £20 for each one.

Maintenance received from a former partner. Child support/maintenance payments are disregarded so do not include them.

Unearned income from all other sources each week.

You should include retirement pensions, Incapacity Benefit, Carer's or Severe Disablement Allowance, Contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Contributory Employment and Support Allowances.

Don't include any Tax, Pension or Return to Work Credits, interest on savings or Attendance, Disability Living, Mobility and Fostering Allowances or community care payments.

This section asks about your (and your partner's) savings, investments and other assets.

You cannot qualify for any housing benefit or most council tax benefit if you (and/or any partner) have £16,000 or more in savings and investments. The home you live in and personal possessions do not count.

How much is the value of all cash, savings, bank deposits, Tessas, PEPs, unit trusts, ISAs, building society accounts, Tax Credit arrears and all liquid assets?

How much is the value of fixed, or non liquid assets and investments, such as shares, buildings and land, but not the house you are living in. Deduct 10% of the value to cover the cost of sale.

This section asks about your eligible childcare charges (up to £175 per week for 1 child or £300 for more) and student expenses. Costs for childcare in the child's own home by a close relative are excluded.

Charges for registered or approved childcare can be deducted from the income of couples or lone parents in remunerative work (at least 16 hours per week) or on Statutory Sick, Maternity, Paternity or Adoption Pay or a similar benefit (up to 28 weeks).

Couples still qualify if one works and the partner is incapacitated, in hospital or prison.

Enter the weekly childcare charges paid. Children count up to the September following their 15 birthday, or 16 if disabled.

Enter the weekly student loan or grant contribution which can also be off-set against the person claiming's (and their partner's) income.

If you do get them, enter the weekly Working Tax Credit and (unless you or your partner have reached the age of 60) Child Tax Credit amount.

If you already know your credits then enter your weekly Pension Credit amount.

If you are not actually being paid any credits, there is no such income so you should skip the rest of this step.

If you want an estimate then the program can do one, just tick this box and it might need to know the extra details below.

Do you (and your partner) in total work 30 hours or more in an average week?

Are you (or your partner) a disabled adult on High Rate Attendance Allowance?

This section asks about other adults who live with you but pay no rent, often grown-up children. They are called "non-dependants" and are assumed to be contributing to the household income, so a deduction is made from any benefit for each one.

Enter the number of non-dependants in each of these income categories, but skip this step if you (or your partner) are disabled due to blindness, or in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance care component or Attendance Allowance has been awarded.

Don't count your partner or any students as a non-dependant.

All amounts are weekly and before any deductions, such as National Insurance, have been made.

£382 or more

Between £306 and £381.99

Between £231 and £305.99

Between £228 and £230.99

Between £178 and £227.99

Between £175 and £177.99

Between £120 and £174.99

Under £120, works at least 16 hours a week

Number of non-dependants, working or otherwise, in receipt of any Pension Credits.

Number of non-dependants, any age, on Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance.

Number of non-dependants not on Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or any Pension Credit, and not working at least 16 hours per week.

Number of non-dependants who are under 25 and are on Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or the assessment phase of Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

Number of non-dependants who are 25 or over and are on Income Support, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Jobseeker's Allowance; or who are under 25 and on main phase Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

Your total net weekly income is £ - this has been automatically calculated, including £ Tax / Pension Credits per week.

If your total applicable amount is higher than your net weekly income, maximum benefit is awarded. However, if your net weekly income is higher than your total applicable amount, 65% of the excess income is deducted from maximum housing benefit to find the award. For council tax benefit, 20% of the excess income is deducted from the maximum award. Non-dependant deductions are also taken off at this stage.

Alternative council tax benefit is often called second adult rebate and is based on the income of the non-dependants. The calculator works out if you are better off with a benefit award based on your circumstances or your non-dependants.