Explaining the benefit cap How to tell whether you’re affected by the changes

www.soha.co.uk The benefit cap limits the • Bereavement Allowance amount of total benefits • Child Benefit a household can receive. The limit is £20,000 a • Child Tax Credit year or £384.62 per week • Employment and Support from autumn 2016. Allowance (unless you get Any amount of benefit that the ‘support’ component) you would receive above • Guardian’s Allowance this annual or weekly sum (this won’t be affected is taken away from your by the benefit cap or the from autumn 2016) housing element of your • Housing Benefit . This means that you will need to cover • part or some of your rent. • This leaflet is for anyone who • Jobseeker’s Allowance will be affected by this change. It outlines what options you • Maternity Allowance have to avoid or lessen the cap. • Severe Disablement If you still have questions Allowance after reading this booklet, • Widowed Parent’s your Soha Rental Income Allowance (or Widowed Officer will be able to help. Mother’s Allowance Get in touch using the contact or Widows Pension if details on the back page. you started getting it Who does the before 9 April 2001) cap apply to? • Universal Credit (unless First of all we need to make you’ve had a work sure the cap applies to you. capability assessment and aren’t fit for work) The cap applies to the total number of people in your Carer’s Allowance will not household (you, your partner be affected by the benefit and any children living with cap from autumn 2016. you) who receive any of Payments towards a carer’s the following benefits: costs paid as part of Universal 2 3 4 Credit will not be affected If you have adult children or either. However, this may adult non-dependants living happen at a later date. with you and they qualify for You’re not affected by any of these benefits, the cap the cap if anyone in your may affect you. This is because household qualifies for they’re not usually included in Working Tax Credit or gets your household (this is a rule any of the following benefits: made by the Department of Work and Pensions in 2016). • Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Your options if you • Armed Forces are affected by Independence Payment the benefit cap • Attendance Allowance Doing nothing is not an option! • Disability Living It is very important that you Allowance (DLA) don’t ignore the cap. If you do, • Employment and Support you could get into arrears with Allowance (if you get the your rent account and your support component) tenancy could be at risk. If you • Industrial Injuries are not sure what would be Benefits (and equivalent best for your circumstances, payments as part of a please speak to us. War Disablement Pension Qualify for Working or the Armed Forces Tax Credits Compensation Scheme) To qualify for Working Tax • Personal Independence Credits you need to work Payment (PIP) a minimum of 16 hours a • Universal Credit payment week as a single person or for ‘limited capability 24 hours as part of a couple for work and work- with one of you working related activity’ 16 of those 24 hours. • War pensions You can find out more about working tax credit at www. • War Widow’s or War gov.uk/working-tax-credit Widower’s Pension 5 Help with childcare website www.soha.co.uk The cost of childcare does or www.turn2us.org.uk not have to be a barrier Claim Discretionary to you going to work. You Housing Payment from may be eligible for up to 15 your local authority hours a week free childcare If none of the options above from the government if apply to you, a temporary your child is over two years solution could be to apply old. You can find out more for Discretionary Housing by visiting www.gov.uk/ Payment (DHP) from your local find-free-early-education council. They can help to cover or by speaking to your local some or all of your Housing authority or children’s centre. Benefit shortfall with DHP. Claim disability benefits DHP is available for a fixed for a member of your period to give you time to household (if eligible) look at other options, such as If a member of your household moving in to work or moving has a physical or mental to cheaper accommodation. health issue which could This option is probably best be defined as a disability, for those people affected they could be eligible for by the cap whose children • Personal Independence are too young for them to Payment (PIP) or consider working or who Employment Support are waiting for a decision Allowance (ESA), if about other benefits. aged 16 to 64, You can apply for DHP by • Disability Living Allowance visiting your local council’s (DLA) if under 16, website or asking Soha to send you a paper form. We • Carer’s Allowance if may even be able to help you looking after somebody submit your application. who is disabled, even if they don’t live with you. Move to cheaper accommodation For information regarding disability benefits see our There may be cheaper accommodation in your

6 area that you could consider Benefit (that is, the shortfall moving to in order to reduce you have to pay under the the amount of Housing benefit cap) is affordable, Benefit you lose. Check your you may want to consider local authority’s website or covering the shortfall from consider mutually exchanging your ongoing benefits. This homes with someone else via is only really an option if the www.homeswapper.co.uk. amount being deducted from your Housing Benefit is very Pay the shortfall from small and you are confident your existing income that you can cover the shortfall If you feel the amount being for as long as you need to. deducted from your Housing

7 We will do our best to offer a translation service in a different language if this would be helpful. This may include using a translator to speak to you about the content of a publication rather than giving you a hard copy of your own. We also do our best to offer large print or audio versions of publications. Please ring us on 01235 515 900 or 0800 014 15 45 (Freephone).

Polish Dołożymy wszelkich starań, aby zaoferować tłumaczenie na inny język, jeżeli byłoby to pomocne. Oferta ta może obejmować usługi tłumacza ustnego, który przedstawiłby treść publikacji, zamiast przekazania tłumaczenia w formie papierowej. Dołożymy również wszelkich starań, aby przygotować druk wielkoformatowy lub wersje audio publikacji. Prosimy o kontakt pod numerem 01235 515 900 lub 0800 014 15 45 (Freephone).

Portuguese Poderemos também providenciar um serviço de tradução para um outro idioma, se tal lhe for útil. Poderemos recorrer a um tradutor que lhe falará acerca do conteúdo da publicação, em vez de lhe entregar uma cópia impressa da mesma. Envidamos igualmente todos os esforços para fornecer versões em letra grande e versões áudio das publicações. Contacte-nos através do 01235 515 900 ou do 0800 014 15 45 (Freephone).

Italian Faremo del nostro meglio per offrire un servizio di traduzione in altre lingue, se ciò dovesse servire. Pertanto, al posto di una copia cartacea della pubblicazione da portare con voi, possiamo mettere a disposizione un traduttore che ve ne illustrerà il contenuto. Faremo anche del nostro meglio per offrire stampe a caratteri grandi oppure versioni audio delle pubblicazioni. Chiamateci al numero 01235 515 900 o 0800 014 15 45 (Freephone).

Turkish Yararlı olabilecek farklı bir dilde tercüme hizmeti sunmak için elimizden geleni yapacağız. Bu, kendinize ait basılı bir kopyayı size vermek yerine, bir yayın içeriği hakkında sizinle konuşmak üzere bir tercüman kullanmayı da içerebilir. Aynı zamanda, büyük baskı ya da sesli sürümleri sunmak için elimizden geleni yapıyoruz. Lütfen bizi buradan arayın 01235 515 900 veya 0800 014 15 45 (Freephone - Ücretsiz Telefon).

Bengali jsb opr„K p„ Zrpxl Arikr GKsU sh hrnr„ Adugrb eskxngr xbI„rk Rdì jarorcì xPØr Kkg| Gk A¿hu”¥ pxZ erxk AredrxK xKrxdr ÇKrmdrk iusºZ Aduslse xbI„rk eskgxZ” xoB ÇKrmdrk sgn„gàu o’exK” Aredrk ox¼ Kar glrk Rdì GKRd AdugrbKxK gìgprk Kkr| GQr‚rI ÇKrmdrk g‚ Aqxk Qrer Aagr AsWI o…ÜkY xbI„rk Rdì Arikr jarorcì xPØr Ksk| AduMŸp Kxk Arirxbk ox¼ 01235 515 900 Aagr 0800 014 15 45 (Freephone) xUslxfrd dÍxk xjrMrxjrM KÒd|

Soha Housing Royal Scot House  99 Station Road  Didcot  Oxfordshire  OX11 7NN [email protected]  www.soha.co.uk  01235 515900  0800 014 1545 March 2017