Pension age
Housing Benefit calculator for tenants over State Pension age
Rent, income and savings give a weekly figure; Guarantee Credit means the full eligible rent.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
New claims for Housing Benefit are now limited to people over State Pension age and to people in supported, sheltered or temporary housing; working-age tenants claim help with rent through Universal Credit. For a pensioner, the calculation starts from the eligible rent, capped at the Local Housing Allowance for a private tenancy, less fixed deductions for other adults in the home. Anyone getting the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit receives that maximum. Otherwise income is compared with an applicable amount of £238.00 a week for a single person who reached State Pension age after 1 April 2021 (£256.00 if earlier), and Housing Benefit falls by 65p for every pound above it. Savings over £10,000 count as £1 a week per £500, and above £16,000 there is no award unless you get Guarantee Credit.
Housing Benefit a week (estimate)
£115.70
About £6,016 a year
| Maximum Housing Benefit | £130.00 |
| Your applicable amount | £238.00 |
| Income counted (with savings) | £260.00 |
| 65% of income above the applicable amount | −£14.30 |
Working-age tenants claim Universal Credit for rent instead, except in supported or temporary housing. Disability and carer premiums raise the applicable amount and are not added here.
A worked example
A single pensioner who reached State Pension age in 2023 rents a flat for £140 a week, has £275 a week of State Pension and a small workplace pension, and £12,000 in the bank. Her savings add £4 of assumed income, so £279.00 is compared with her applicable amount of £238.00. The excess of £41.00 reduces the maximum by 65%, leaving Housing Benefit of £113.35 a week, about £5,894 a year.
The rules behind the figure
The 65% taper is set by regulation 51 of the Housing Benefit regulations for pension-age claimants; the applicable amounts and non-dependant deductions come from the DWP 2026/27 rates. Disability, severe disability and carer premiums can raise the applicable amount and are not added by the calculator, so a disabled pensioner may get more than shown. Private rents are limited to the Local Housing Allowance of the area; council and housing association tenants of pension age are not affected by the spare room rules.
If the result is close to the full rent, check Pension Credit first: a Guarantee Credit award, however small, gives maximum Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.