More Info
When you select one of the 'More Info' options on the calculator additional text will be displayed here.
If you are using a text browser the text from all the 'More Info' options will appear in this column and you will need
to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the results of a calculation.
Please note that this calculator uses
weekly figures and any non weekly values will be converted automatically by the calculator.
Residential Care Home
Care homes include Residential Care Homes and Nursing Homes. Please answer YES if you live permanently in a Care Home.
Single, Couple or Lone Parent
Please check couple if you live with a partner as husband and wife. You do not need to be married.
Savings and Capital
Enter the combined savings and capital of you and your partner. You should include money you have in a bank or building society, stocks or shares, cash, ISA's, bonds etc. If you live in a care home only include half of any joint capital/savings.
Age
To qualify for Pension Credit you and any partner must be over Pensionable Age. Existing couple claimants can continue to get Pension Credit even if one is below pensionable age.
Note: mixed age couples can make a Pension Credit claim if they are already getting housing benefit as a couple and have been so since prior to 15 May 2019.
To qualify for the Savings Credit element within Pension Credit you and any partner need to have reached Pensionale age prior to 6th April 2016.
If you did not reach Pensionable before 6th April 2016 but have been getting Savings Credit since before then you can continue to receive it so long as there are no breaks in your entitlmement.
Carers Allowance
This is paid to the carer of someone who gets either:
- Attendance Allowance or
- Disability Living Allowance Care Component at the middle or higher rate.
Living Alone
Do not include joint tenants, boarders, people under 18 years, anyone who is blind or who gets Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance Care at the middle or higher rate.
Registered Blind
Please answer YES if you are registered blind or have been registered blind but come off the register in the last 28 weeks.
Housing Costs
This includes a loan taken out to purchase the home you live in or to carry out essential repairs. It does not include loans for other purposes or for second properties.
Since 5 April 2018 this help became a loan. This means any mortgage help you receive from 5 April 2018 must be repaid with interest when you sell or transfer ownership of your home. Before this date the beneft did not need to be repaid.
You should only include the amount you pay in interest and not endowment insurance or capital repayments.
The Pension Service use standard interest rates and as such their figure may differ slightly.
Underlying Entitlement
Please answer YES if you have applied for Carers Allowance in the past because you look after a
severely disabled person but you have been told that you would not receive it as you have
another benefit that 'overlaps' with Carers Allowance.
State Retirement Pension
** Important **
Please note that Retirement Pension is taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
Please include any Basic Retirement Pension plus any additional pension received through SERPS etc.
Do not include any increases paid in respect of children.
Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance
** Important **
Please note that Incapacity Benefit is taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
Please include any Incapacity Benefit you receive including any age addition. Also include any Severe Disablement Allowance you receive.
Do not include any increases paid in respect of children.
Adviser Note: This income does not count as qualifying income for Savings Credit.
Carers Allowance
** Important **
Please note that Carers Allowance is taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
This is paid to the carer of someone who gets Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance Care at the middle or higher rate.
Do not include any increases paid in respect of children.
Widows Pension & Bereavement Allowance
** Important **
Please note that Widows Pension & Bereavement Allowance are taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
This benefit is paid to some widows who's partner died before 09/04/01.
Widowed Mothers / Parents Allowance
** Important **
Please note that Widowed Mothers Allowance & Widowed Parents Allowance are taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
Paid to widows who are pregnant or to widows and widowers who have qualifying children.
Do not include any increases paid in respect of children.
Industrial Injuries
** Important **
Please note that Industrial Death Benefit is taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
This is paid to people who have had an industrial accident or
suffer from and industrial disease. Include any Reduced Earnings Allowance and Retirement Allowance and Industrial Death Benefit.
Do not include Constant Attendance Allowance or Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance.
Maintenance
Only include spousal maintenance not child maintenance.
Contributory Jobseekers Allowance
** Important **
Please note that Jobseekers Allowance is taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
Only include Contributory Jobseekers Allowance do not include Income Based Jobseekers allowance.
Adviser Note: This income does not count as qualifying income for Savings Credit.
Working Tax Credit
Only include Working Tax Credit and not Child Tax Credit.
War Widows / Widowers Pension
Paid to the widows or widowers of those receiving a War Pension or would have got one if they had claimed.
Do not include any special/supplementary allowance where paid.
War Disablement Pension and foreign equivalents
This is paid to those who have suffered an injury as a result of military service.
Equivalent payments are the new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and similar payments
from other countries.
Do not include any additional element paid in repsect of Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allownace or
Severe Disablement Occupational Allowance.
Also do not include any element in respect or Constant Attendace Allowance or War Pension Mobility Supplement as we ask
about these elsewhere.
Adviser note £10.00 per week is disregarded
War Disablement Pension and foreign equivalents
This is paid to those who have suffered an injury as a result of military service.
Do not include any additional element paid in repsect of Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allownace or
Severe Disablement Occupational Allowance.
Also do not include any element in respect or Constant Attendace Allowance or War Pension Mobility Supplement as we ask
about these elsewhere.
War Pension Mobility Supplement.
Paid to those who have a mobility problem as a result of a war injury.
Maternity Allowance
This may be paid to pregnant women who are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay.
Adviser Note: This income does not count as qualifying income for Savings Credit.
Occupational Pension
** Important **
Please note that Occupational Pensions are taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
Remember to include all occupational pensions. You can use the 'other income' box below to enter a second pension.
Net Earnings from Work
** Important **
Please note that earnings, SSP, SMP and SAP are taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
This is Gross Earnings less Tax and NI Contributions and half of any Occupational Pension contributions made. This should also include Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay (SSP), Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) and Statutory Maternity Pay(SMP).
Other income
** Important **
Please note that other income may be taxable as such please ensure that you use the net amount.
Only use this box for income that is not specifically covered in the boxes above. Also do not include any of the following:
- Child benefit
- Guardians Allowance
- Child Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit
- Social Fund Payments
- War Widows Special or Supplementary Pension
- Student Grants and Loans
- Cash in Lieu of Coal
- Actual Interest from savings
- Payments from Social Work
Attendance Allowance
This is paid to people who are aged 65 or over who require help with personal care or require supervision.
Lower Rate:
£72.65 per week or
£290.60 per 4 weeks.
Higher Rate:
£108.55 per week or
£434.20 per 4 weeks.
Adviser Note This is disregarded as income for Pension Credit but may give entitlement to a severe disability addition.
DLA/PIP
This is paid to people who claim before reachinhg Pension Age to help with care and mobility.
DLA lower Rate Care:
£28.70 per week or
£114.80 per 4 weeks.
DLA Middle Rate Care & PIP Standard Daily Living:
£72.65 per week or
£290.60 per 4 weeks.
DLA Higher Rate Care & PIP Enhanced Daily Living:
£108.55 per week or
£434.20 per 4 weeks.
DLA & PIP Mobility Lower Rate:
£28.70 per week or
£114.80 per 4 weeks.
DLA & PIP Mobility Higher Rate:
£75.75 per week or
£303.00 per 4 weeks.
Adviser Note This is disregarded as income for Pension Credit but may give entitlement to a severe disability addition.
Information
This calculator has applied appropriate disregards to earnings and benefits and has
converted all values into weekly amounts. As such some of the figures input will differ from the values on the results page.
The section below is Under Review
If you live in Scotland you can now contact your local Pension Service via this calculator to request a home visit to complete Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claim forms.
To do so click the button below. For those not living in Scotland you will need to call 0800 991234 to make an alternative arrangement.
Please note that the details on this calculator will NOT be sent to the Pension Service. As such you may wish to print
the detailed results page to show to the home visiting officer.
Council Tax
Please select the Council to which you pay your Council Tax. Also select the approporiate Council Tax Band (A-H) for your
property. You will find this on correspondence from your Council Tax Office. If you do not know your Council
Tax Band please use this link to visit the Scottish Assessors Website and enter your postcode.
Rent
**Important**
Your rent is the amount charged by your landlord before receiving any Housing Benefit.
The rent figure to be entered here is the eligible rent. In private sector property the eligible rent will often be
lower than the actual rent. Additionally any charges for meals heating etc cannot be included.
From April 2008 the Governement introduced the Local Housing Allowance. For new claims for Housing Benefit after this date the eligible rent will be calculated differently. The eligible rent will be the lower of two figures either:
- the new relevent room rate for your area or
- the actual weekly rent plus £ 15
More Information About Income
Please note to always use NET income figures. Net income is gross income less any tax or Natioinal Insurance.
In this box you will be able to see additional information about the different benefits/income.
To see this additional information move the mouse pointer over the name of the relevent benefit or income.
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