Investments, properties and savings (capital)

Capital is anything that has a monetary value, such as land and property, investments and savings. You will not be entitled to Housing Benefit if your (and your partner’s) capital is more than £16,000, unless one of you receives the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit.

We count capital as:

• cash
• Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)
• land
• lump sums such as redundancy payments, insurance payments and back payments of social security benefits
• Premium Bonds and income bonds
• properties you or your partner own or jointly own
• money invested in a business and business assets
• money held or jointly held in banks, building societies and the Post Office
• money held or jointly held in any current accounts or pre-paid cards
• money held in trust
• money you have borrowed
• stocks, shares, unit trust holdings, government securities and bonds
• tax refunds
• National Savings certificates

Other forms of investments – properties, savings or anything that has a monetary value – could also be counted as capital.

Your total capital affects your Housing Benefit:

• total capital of £6,000 or less does not affect your Housing Benefit if you are below state pension age
• total capital of £10,000 or less does not affect your Housing Benefit if you are state pension age or above
• total capital between £6,000 and £16,000 can affect your Housing Benefit. We must assume that you earn income from your capital
• total capital over £16,000 means that you cannot get Housing Benefit unless you and/or your partner have reached the state pension age, and one of you gets the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit

The amount we add to your total weekly income will depend on your capital amount

Working age claimants (below state pension age)       

£6,000.01 – £6,250                                     £1

£6,250.01 – £6,500                                     £2

£6,500.01 – £6,750                                     £3

£6,750.01 – £7,000                                     £4

£7,000.01 – £7,250                                     £5

£7,250.01 – £7,500                                     £6

£7,500.01 – £7,750                                     £7

£7,750.01 – £8,000                                     £8

£8,000.01 – £8,250                                     £9

£8,250.01 – £8,500                                     £10

£8,500.01 – £8,750                                     £11

£8,750.01 – £9,000                                     £12

£9,000.01 – £9,250                                     £13

£9,250.01 – £9,500                                     £14

£9,500.01 – £9,750                                     £15

£9,750.01 – £10,000                                   £16

£10,000.01 – £10,250                                 £17

£10,250.01 – £10,500                                 £18

£10,500.01 – £10,750                                 £19

£10,750.01 – £11,000                                 £20

£11,000.01 – £11,250                                 £21

£11,250.01 – £11,500                                 £22

£11,500.01 – £11,750                                 £23

£11,750.01 – £12,000                                 £24

£12,000.01 – £12,250                                 £25

£12,250.01 – £12,500                                 £26

£12,500.01 – £12,750                                 £27

£12,750.01 – £13,000                                 £28

£13,000.01 – £13,250                                 £29

£13,250.01 – £13,500                                 £30

£13,500.01 – £13,750                                 £31

£13,750.01 – £14,000                                 £32

£14,000.01 – £14,250                                 £33

£14,250.01 – £14,500                                 £34

£14,500.01 – £14,750                                 £35

£14,750.01 – £15,000                                 £36

£15,000.01 – £15,250                                 £37

£15,250.01 – £15,500                                 £38

£15,500.01 – £15,750                                 £39

£15,750.01 – £15,999                                 £39

Claimants above state pension age

£10,000.01 – £10,500                                 £1

£10,500.01 – £11,000                                 £2

£11,000.01 – £11,500                                 £3

£11,500.01 – £12,000                                 £4

£12,000.01 – £12,500                                 £5

£12,500.01 – £13,000                                 £6

£13,000.01 – £13,500                                 £7

£13,500.01 – £14,000                                 £8

£14,000.01 – £14,500                                 £9

£14,500.01 – £15,000                                 £10

£15,000.01 – £15,500                                 £11

£15,500.01 – £15,999                                 £12