The income taper in Housing Benefit and the earnings taper in Universal Credit are designed to ensure that work always pays. They ensure that benefit is not reduced on a pound for pound basis. Whilst receiving Universal Credit, a claimant\u2019s income is disregarded for Housing Benefit purposes and there is no change to the amount they receive.<\/p>
<\/p>
If their Universal Credit claim ends, then their Housing Benefit claim is reassessed. Some of their earnings will be disregarded based on their personal circumstances. When a claimant\u2019s income, after the disregards have been applied, is higher than their applicable amount, Housing Benefit is reduced by a fixed taper of 65p for every £1 of additional income, meaning that they will always be better off in work.<\/p>
<\/p>
The applicable amounts in Housing Benefit are made up of personal allowances, paid according to age and family status, added to premiums which are designed to help particular groups of people who may have additional expenses. These amounts are uprated each year alongside other benefits.<\/p>
<\/p>
Work allowances are already available to Universal Credit claimants who have children or limited capability for work, including those living in supported accommodation. Work allowances provide additional incentives and support for these particular groups who may find it more difficult to get into, or progress in work.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4423", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Will Quince"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Colchester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Will Quince"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-11-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "115690"} , {"_value" : "116501"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-11-24T17:49:18.79Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-11-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universal Credit: Housing Benefit"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the interaction between universal credit and housing benefit earnings tapers.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4368", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Neil Coyle"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bermondsey and Old Southwark"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Neil Coyle"} ], "uin" : "116500"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/797537", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/797537/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department has no plans to include provision similar to the Severe Disability Premium as part of Universal Credit.<\/p>
<\/p>
Anyone in the ESA Support Group, who only qualifies for the Enhanced Disability Premium, will be better off in UC by over £90 per month.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3969", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Damian Hinds"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Hampshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Damian Hinds"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-12-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-12-07T16:37:03.713Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-11-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universal Credit: Disability"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to include provision similar to the Severe Disability Premium as part of universal credit.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4676", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Marsha De Cordova"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Battersea"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Marsha De Cordova"} ], "uin" : "116500"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 2, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }