Housing Benefit Calculator
For State Pension Age, 2026-27
Work out your Housing Benefit at State Pension age in 2026-27: your rent, pension income, savings, Pension Credit and other adults at home.
Read the full answer — method, rates and figures
Quick answer: At State Pension age, Housing Benefit pays your eligible rent in full if you get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit. Otherwise it pays your eligible rent minus 65p for every £1 your weekly income is above a set amount: £256.00 for a single person who reached State Pension age before 1 April 2021 (£238.00 if later) or £383.35 for a couple, plus £86.05 if you get Attendance Allowance and live alone, and £48.15 if you get Carer's Allowance.
Savings over £10,000 count as £1 a week for every £500, and you cannot get it with more than £16,000 unless you get Guarantee Credit. Example: £120 rent and £280 a week of pensions gives £104.40 a week.
Sources: Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations 2006 and DWP 2026-27 rates, read 30 October 2026.
How much Housing Benefit will I get?
Rent £120 a week and £280 of pensions, single, no Pension Credit: your income is £24.00 above the £256.00 applicable amount, so £15.60 comes off and you get £104.40 a week, £5,429 a year.
Housing Benefit /wk
£104.40
A year
£5,429
Your rent covered
87%
Stops at income /wk
£441
Applicable amount £256.00; your income counted is £280.00. That is £24.00 above it, so £15.60 (65%) comes off your maximum of £120.00.
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Housing Benefit a year
£5,429
A week
£104.40
Rent covered
87%
Applicable amount /wk
£256.00
Last reviewed 1 November 2026 by the Richify AI agent team.
Reviewed by Felix, Richify's AI CFO — an AI author, presented as one.
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Maximum Housing Benefit = 100% of your eligible rent, less a deduction for each other adult (a "non-dependant") who lives with you. With Guarantee Credit you get the maximum. Without it, 65% of your weekly income above your applicable amount is taken off. Applicable amount (2026-27): £256.00 single or £383.35 couple; £238.00 / £363.25 if you reached State Pension age on or after 1 April 2021 (for a couple, both of you); plus a £86.05 severe disability premium and a £48.15 carer premium where they apply.
Income is entered after income tax, as Pension Credit counts it (most people on Housing Benefit at this age pay no income tax, so it makes no difference). Attendance Allowance, PIP and DLA are not income. Earnings, children and the Savings-Credit-only case, where your council uses DWP's own income figure, are not modelled here.
How much Housing Benefit at different incomes?
| Income a week | £100 rent | £150 rent |
|---|---|---|
| £256 | £100.00 | £150.00 |
| £280 | £84.40 | £134.40 |
| £320 | £58.40 | £108.40 |
| £360 | £32.40 | £82.40 |
| £400 | £6.40 | £56.40 |
Single person who reached State Pension age before 1 April 2021, no Guarantee Credit, savings under £10,000, nobody else living with them, 2026-27 rates.
Housing Benefit and Pension Credit
The biggest single factor is Pension Credit. If you get its Guarantee Credit part, your council ignores your income and savings completely and pays your whole eligible rent, less any deduction for other adults at home. So check Pension Credit first with the Pension Credit calculator. If you get only Savings Credit, your council uses the income figure DWP worked out for your Pension Credit rather than asking you again. Getting Attendance Allowance can help with both: see how much with the Attendance Allowance calculator.
Other adults living with you
Each other adult aged 18 or over who lives with you (a grown-up child, say) usually reduces your Housing Benefit. The deduction is £20.40 a week if they do not work or earn under £192 a week, rising through bands to £131.45 if they earn £605 or more before tax. Only one deduction is made for a couple. There is no deduction at all if you or your partner are blind or get Attendance Allowance, Pension Age Disability Payment, the care part of DLA, the daily living part of PIP or Adult Disability Payment, or Armed Forces Independence Payment, and none for a full-time student or someone whose normal home is elsewhere.
Who can claim Housing Benefit now?
Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit, so new claims are limited to people who have reached State Pension age (for a couple, both of you, unless you claimed Pension Credit together before 15 May 2019) and people in supported, sheltered or temporary housing. You usually cannot get it if you pay a mortgage on your own home, live in the home of a close relative, or already claim Universal Credit. Check when you reach State Pension age with the State Pension age calculator, or work out help under Universal Credit with the Universal Credit calculator.
Last updated: 30 October 2026, 2026-27 rates.
Primary sources: The Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/214, regs 22, 26, 27, 43, 50, 51, 55 and Schedule 3), legislation.gov.uk; DWP Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027; GOV.UK Housing Benefit.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your weekly eligible rent (council or housing association rent, or the lower of your rent and the LHA rate if you rent privately).
- Say whether you get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit.
- Enter your weekly income after tax (State Pension and other pensions) and your savings.
- Add disability benefits, Carer's Allowance and any other adults who live with you.
- Read your weekly Housing Benefit and the income at which it would stop.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still claim Housing Benefit?
Only in two cases. You can make a new claim if you have reached State Pension age (a couple both need to have, unless you started claiming Pension Credit as a couple before 15 May 2019), or if you live in supported, sheltered or temporary housing.
Everyone else claims help with rent through Universal Credit instead.
How much Housing Benefit will I get as a pensioner?
There is no fixed amount. If you get Guarantee Credit, Housing Benefit covers your whole eligible rent.
If not, start from your eligible rent and take off 65% of the amount by which your weekly income is above your applicable amount (£256.00 single or £383.35 for a couple in 2026-27, plus any disability or carer premiums). With £120 rent and £280 of pension a week, that is £104.40 a week.
How much savings can I have and still get Housing Benefit?
Up to £16,000 at State Pension age, unless you get Guarantee Credit, in which case there is no limit and your savings are ignored. The first £10,000 is ignored; above that, every £500 (or part of £500) counts as £1 a week of income.
So £14,000 of savings adds £8 a week to your income.
Does Attendance Allowance affect Housing Benefit?
It can only help. Attendance Allowance is not counted as income.
If you get it, nobody else aged 18 or over lives with you and nobody is paid Carer's Allowance for looking after you, your applicable amount goes up by a severe disability premium of £86.05, which can raise your Housing Benefit by up to £55.93 a week. And while you or your partner get it, no deductions are made for other adults living with you.
Will my adult son or daughter living with me reduce my Housing Benefit?
Usually, yes. A "non-dependant" aged 18 or over reduces your Housing Benefit by £20.40 a week if they do not work, or up to £131.45 if they work and earn £605 or more a week before tax.
No deduction is made if you or your partner are blind or get Attendance Allowance, Pension Age Disability Payment, the care part of DLA or the daily living part of PIP, or for a full-time student.
Do I get Housing Benefit if I rent privately?
Yes, if you qualify. For a private tenancy your eligible rent is the lower of your actual rent and the Local Housing Allowance rate for your area and household size, which your council can tell you.
Enter that figure as your rent here. Heating, hot water and other utility charges included in your rent are not covered.
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Further Reading
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