If you are under State Pension age, there may be a limit on the total amount in benefits your household can get. If your income goes above this amount, your benefit will be reduced until it drops below the limit again. This is called a benefit cap. 

Who does it affect?

The benefit cap may apply if you or your partner, if you have one, are:

  • under State Pension age
  • receiving Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, or certain other benefits
  • receiving a total amount in these benefits that is above the benefit cap amount. 

You can read the full list of benefits affected by the cap on Gov.uk.

Who is not affected?

The cap does not apply to some people – for example, if you or your partner are receiving certain other benefits, such as:

You can read the full list of benefits that are not affected by the cap on Gov.uk. 

If you're receiving Universal Credit, the benefit cap might not start for nine months, depending on your income. You can check if this applies to you on Gov.uk. There may be other exemptions, so contact Citizens Advice or Citizens Advice Scotland to check. 

If you’re over State Pension age, the benefit cap will not apply to you. But if you're in a couple and only one of you is over State Pension age, the cap may apply, unless you’re not affected because you get certain other benefits.

How will it affect me?

For 2025/26, the monthly cap is set at the following levels.

If you live in Greater London and you are:

single£1,413.92
single and responsible for a child who lives with you – or in a couple£2,110.25

If you live outside Greater London and you are:

single£1,229.42
single and responsible for a child who lives with you – or in a couple£1,835.00

The benefit cap does not apply if you are in a couple and you have both reached State Pension age.

If you're in a couple where only one of you is under State Pension age, call our free Helpline on 0800 319 6789 for advice. If you're affected by the cap and are under State Pension age, contact Citizens Advice or Citizens Advice Scotland.

What help can I get?

If you’re getting Universal Credit and you’re struggling because of the benefit cap, contact the Department for Work and Pensions. You can do this through your online account or by calling the Universal Credit helpline.

If you do not get Universal Credit, you can contact the Benefit cap helpline on 0800 169 0145.

You could also contact your local council to find out if you qualify for a Discretionary Housing Payment if you need help paying your rent. This would not be affected by the benefit cap. To find out more about Discretionary Housing Payments, read our webpage Help with housing costs.

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Next steps

To find out more about the benefit cap, whether you’re affected and how it affects your benefits, visit Gov.uk.

You can also check when you’ll reach State Pension age on Gov.uk.

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