Before you start to use the calculator, there are a few things that you will need to know. It will be easier for you to work through all the questions if you have gathered all the information before you start.
- Details of all your income eg state pension, occupational pension, disability allowance, attendance allowance, other state benefits and any earnings.
- Are you married or in a civil partnership, or living with someone as a couple? What is your partner’s income, including any benefits? We need to know this as you will be assessed as a couple. If you have anyone else living with you, we need to know about that too – see below.
- How much money do you have in savings, investments and other capital?
- How much is your annual council tax bill and do you get any help with it?
- Do you pay rent or mortgage? How much?
- Do you have anyone else, eg grown-up children, living with you? Are they in employment or on benefits? What is their income?
- Does anyone receive carers’ allowance for looking after you or anyone in your household?
You will be asked to enter your income and benefits as weekly amounts. If you do not know how much you get per week, your original letter will tell you. If you get paid into your bank account every four weeks, you can divide that figure by four to get your weekly amount. If you get paid once every calendar month, you can multiply the figure by 12 and divide by 52.
If you don’t have the exact information that you need, it is possible to complete the process using estimations, but please be aware that the calculation may not be correct for you.
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