Benefit Cap Checker UK 2025/26 — Cap Limits, Exemptions & Grace Period
The benefit cap limits the total amount of benefits a household can receive. In 2025/26 the cap is £442.31/week in Greater London and £336.00/week elsewhere in Great Britain. If your benefits exceed the cap, your Universal Credit (or Housing Benefit) is reduced. But many households are exempt from the cap — this checker tells you whether the cap applies to you.
Benefit cap 2025/26: Greater London £442.31/week (family) or £296.35 (single no children); rest of GB £336.00 (family) or £251.77 (single). Exempt if receiving PIP, DLA, AA, CA, LCWRA, or working and earning £722+/month. Grace period: 9 months if worked for 12+ continuous months before stopping. Cap applied via reduction to UC housing element.
Benefits Included in the Cap Calculation
The benefit cap applies to the combined total of these benefits:
- Universal Credit (standard allowance, child elements, childcare costs, carer element, housing costs) — but not LCWRA element
- Housing Benefit
- Child Benefit
- Child Tax Credit
- Bereavement Allowance
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance (except Support Group / LCWRA)
- Incapacity Benefit / Income Support
- Maternity Allowance
Benefits NOT included in the cap: Disability Living Allowance; Personal Independence Payment; Attendance Allowance; Carer’s Allowance; the LCWRA element of UC; Council Tax Reduction; Discretionary Housing Payments; free school meals; Sure Start maternity grants; and most work-related benefits.
How to Avoid or Reduce the Cap
If you are affected by the benefit cap, these steps can help:
- Work — if you or your partner earn £722 or more per month net, you are exempt from the cap entirely
- Claim PIP or DLA — if you or a household member has a disability or health condition, claiming PIP creates an exemption even if the PIP claim is unsuccessful on the first attempt
- Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) — apply to your council for a DHP to cover the shortfall; DHPs are limited but some councils award them to capped households
- Review your benefit entitlement — are you receiving all benefits you are entitled to? Some benefits (like Carer’s Allowance) exempt you from the cap
Frequently Asked Questions
Child Benefit is included in the cap calculation (i.e. it counts towards the total that is compared to the cap limit). However, the cap itself is applied by reducing your Universal Credit or Housing Benefit payment — not by directly reducing your Child Benefit. Child Benefit continues to be paid at its normal rate. The reduction comes from the UC housing element or Housing Benefit instead.
Foster carers are exempt from the benefit cap while they are actively fostering. The exemption applies for as long as a child is in the household under a fostering arrangement. This recognises the important role foster carers play and ensures the cap does not act as a disincentive to fostering.