Bedroom tax

If you are considered to have one or more spare bedrooms, your housing benefit will be reduced:

  • by 14% if you have one spare bedroom
  • by 25% if you have two or more spare bedrooms

If your benefit is cut you will have to pay us the difference between your housing benefit and your rent.

This could affect you:

  • if you are 16 to 61 years old
  • if you only get a small amount of housing benefit (e.g. if you are working)
  • if you are sick or disabled

You will not be affected if:

  • you live in a one bedroom flat or bedsit, or
  • if you or your partner is old enough to receive pension credits

What is a spare room?

If you have one or more bedrooms than the Government says you need, you will lose part of your housing benefit. The new rules mean you will be allocated one bedroom for:

  • each adult couple
  • any other person aged 16 or over
  • two children under the age of 10 regardless of their sex
  • any other child
  • a carer (who does not normally live with you) if you or your partner need overnight care

It does not matter how the spare bedroom is used, the new rules apply even if:

  • you or your partner need to sleep apart because of a medical condition
  • the main residence of your children is another address, but you have a spare room for when they stay with you