How savings, investments and property affect your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
What do we mean by capital?
Capital means any savings, investments or property owned by you and your partner if you have one.
Capital includes:
- cash savings
- savings in banks, building societies or the Post Office
- money in current accounts
- Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)
- Tax Exempt Special savings Accounts (TESSAs)
- Tessa only ISAs (TOISAs)
- premium bonds and income bonds
- National Savings Certificates
- stocks, shares, unit trust holdings, Government securities and bonds
- lump sums such as redundancy payments, insurance payments and back payments of Social Security benefits
- tax refunds
- money invested in a business and business assets
- property, such as a house you own but don't live in
- land
- money held in trust
- money you have borrowed
Your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will probably be affected if you have any of these. This is not a full list. You must tell us on the claim form about any capital you have. You will also have to give us evidence of your capital.
Contents of How savings, investments and property affect your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
- What do we mean by capital? (this page)
- How the amount of capital you have affects your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
- Capital we don't count when we work out your benefit
- Capital we don't count for six months (and longer if it's reasonable)
- Income from your capital
- How we work out the value of your capital
