Manchester City Council

Benefits and support The benefit cap

There is a limit on the total amount of benefit that most working age people can get. This is called the benefit cap.

The rates from 1 April 2023 are:

  • £423.46 a week for couples (with or without children).
  • £423.46 a week for single parents whose children live with them.
  • £283.71 a week for single adults who don’t have children, or whose children don’t live with them.

See the benefit cap rates before April 2023

When the cap doesn't apply

The benefit cap does not apply:

  • if anyone in your household qualifies for Working Tax Credit, or if you get certain benefits including Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, the support component of Employment and Support Allowance
  • for the first 39 weeks of unemployment if you, or your partner, had been working continuously for the previous 12 months 
     
  • (from 7 November 2016) to people who get either Carers' Allowance or Guardians' Allowance.

See whether the cap applies to you, and how it’s worked out, on the government’s website: www.gov.uk/benefit-cap

The effect on Housing Benefit

If the cap affects you, we reduce your Housing Benefit so that your total income is not above the limit. You may have to use money from your other benefits to pay some or all of your rent. 

Sometimes you could still have a total benefit income above the cap. But this only happens if the extra amount above the cap is more than your Housing Benefit. We would only pay the minimum Housing Benefit of 50 pence a week.

What can you do?

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