Training Courses
Probably the best benefits calculator in the world. Quick Benefits Calculator is a powerful tool, but it takes some getting used to.
This practical course has excellent feedback. It provides a thorough grounding in how to handle and ultimately learn to love QBC.
Advice Tools
The aim of this website is to give both benefits advisers and members of the public the tools they need to navigate Universal Credit and the broader benefits system, understand rules that are not generally well understood and often not properly explained on other advice and information websites.
Understanding how the Local Housing Allowance works can be tricky. The government website doesn’t make it easy to correctly work out the LHA rate for a Universal Credit claim.
This tool is the only place you’ll find both weekly rates and their monthly UC equivalents in an easy search.
It also gives guidance on the rules to work out which rates applies. You’re definitely going to want to bookmark this page.
You can also order a free LHA rates poster for your local area here.
2024-25
Download our 2024/25 benefit rates poster here
2023-24
Download our 2023/24 benefit rates poster here
2022-23
The benefits matrix is a tool to help you quickly work out what benefits you’d expect someone to be getting in a given set of circumstances.
Other resources for your tool kit
You’ll want to have these pages bookmarked and ready to use whenever you’re giving benefits advice
It takes seconds to check someone’s Council Tax liability using this postcode search. You’ll also need to find the rates for each band from the local council’s website.
If you’re giving advice to people in different parts of the country then this postcode search can help you quickly find their local authority. Sometimes there’s more than one council (eg. district and county) in those cases you’ll be looking for the district council.
The key information you’ll be looking for on the council’s website is likely to include:
- Council tax rates and bands
- Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) application forms
- Housing Benefit application forms
- Council Tax Reduction / Council Tax Support application forms
- Council Tax Reduction / Council Tax Support policies
If you’re doing detailed benefits work the DWP’s own guidance can be very helpful. It is particularly helpful to use in mandatory reconsideration requests.
It can be difficult to navigate at first and if you’re new to benefits it’s probably not something you’ll be using anytime soon.