2. The Benefit Cap

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.