How much Housing Benefit can I get?
When we work out your Housing Benefit we take into account:
- how much income you have coming in each week or month (earnings and/or benefits)
- how much you have in savings and investments
- who lives in your household and their circumstances. In some circumstances there will be deductions from your benefit if you have an adult non dependant living with you
- how much rent you have to pay
- whether you are of pension age or working age
In addition the amount you are entitled to may be calculated based on the number of bedrooms needed for your household size.
One bedroom is allowed for:
- every adult couple (married or unmarried)
- any other adult aged 16 or over
- any two children of the same sex aged under 16
- any two children aged under 10
- any other child (other than a foster child or child whose main home is elsewhere)
- children who cannot share because of a disability or medical condition
- a carer (or team of carers) providing overnight care
- an extra bedroom for foster carers who have at least one foster child placed with them (or are between placements for no more than 52 weeks)
- an extra bedroom if you are a couple who cannot share because of a disability or medical condition
If you rent from a Housing Association or South Essex Homes (and are working age), we use the above size allowance and compare it to the number of bedrooms in your property. If the number of bedrooms you have exceeds the allowance your Housing Benefit will be reduced by 14% for 1 extra bedroom, or 25% for 2 or more extra bedrooms.
If you rent from a private landlord, your Housing Benefit will be based on one of the below Local Housing Allowance rates. The one to apply is based on the number bedrooms calculated as needed for your household size.
| Number of bedrooms | 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 (per week) | 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Accommodation * | £93.51 | £406.32 |
| 1 Bedroom | £156.49 | £679.99 |
| 2 Bedroom | £201.37 | £875.00 |
| 3 Bedroom | £253.15 | £1100.00 |
| 4 Bedroom | £310.68 | £1349.98 |
*Please note, the shared accommodation rate is applied for a person or couple who live in accommodation with shared facilities or for a single person under 35 years of age
If you wish to make a claim please go to the Citizen Access Benefits portal.
Change in circumstances
You must tell us right away if you have a change in circumstances that could effect the level of entitlement you have been granted. Please see our change of circumstances page for more information