How much Benefit you will get

To work out your benefit, we will look at the following: -

• money you and your partner have coming in (this includes earnings, benefits, tax credits and pensions)
• your savings and your partner's savings
• your personal circumstances (such as age, disability, having children and other people living in the household)

We will also look at whether: -

• the amount of rent is reasonable for your home
• your home is a reasonable size for you and your family
• the amount of rent is reasonable for the area your home is in

We calculate benefit according to rules agreed by Parliament.

We can pay up to a maximum of 100% of your eligible rent or council tax.

Your eligible rent or council tax may not be the same as the amount you actually pay because: -

• there may be charges that are not eligible for benefit or
• some restrictions may apply

You can get an idea of how much benefit you may get, by using our | online benefit calculator.

Local Housing Allowance

If you are thinking of renting a property from a private landlord and intend claiming benefit, you can check the |Broad Market Rent Areas for Elmbridge. This will give you an idea of the amount of rent on which benefit is likely to be calculated.

This is especially important if you are under 25 and single.

Council Tax

You can check the |Council Tax band of any property within the Borough to enter into the online benefit calculator. This will give you an idea of how much Council Tax benefit you may get.