2. The Benefit Cap
[ch 2: page 26]The Benefit Cap imposes a limit on the total amount of benefits people aged 16 to 64 can get. It came into force in 2013 and was lowered from November 2016. The cap applies to a household’s combined income and affects the following benefits:
• Bereavement Allowance;
• Child Benefit;
• Child Tax Credit (CTC);
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA);
• Housing Benefit;
• Incapacity Benefit;
• Income Support (IS);
• Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA);
• Severe Disablement Allowance;
• Maternity Allowance;
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance (or Widowed Mother’s Allowance or Widows Pension received before 9 April 2001); and
• Universal Credit.