Resources to help when using Quick Ben
Benefits rates posters for the current year and the previous year
Hertfordshire Council Tax rates 2023/24
As well as these rates, you’ll need to use the Council Tax band checker. Remember to input the BAND A rate into QBC and select the actual band from the drop-down list. You also need to be aware of Council Tax discounts and exemptions – see advisernet
Powerpoint slides
You can download the Powerpoint slides from the course here.
Slides 1-6 we went through on the course.
Slides 7-14 are screenshots of each QBC screen with clickable links to find relevant rules in Advisernet and references to the info in the CPAG handbook. Note that CPAG references are for the 2022/23 handbook which will shortly be replaced.
Scenarios from the course
These are all scenarios we looked at on the course. There is a link with each one so that you can download a completed calculation to compare with your answers.
Scenario 1
| Your client is a single person aged 26, no children. They lost their job two weeks ago, they have already received their last pay before claiming UC. They don’t have any savings or capital. They live alone in a privately rented studio flat in Hitchin. (80 COLERIDGE CLOSE, Hitchin, Herts, SG4 0QY) The rent is £850pcm. Download calculation 1 |
Secanrio 2
| Your client is a 22 year old single parent with a 1 year old child. She is a housing association tenant, in a two-bed flat, with rent of £450pcm. She’s not working. She doesn’t have any savings or capital. CT band D (Royston). Download calculation 2 |
Scenario 3
| Your client is a 39 year old single parent with one son (aged 7). He works part-time 20 hours a week at the National Living Wage. He has opted out of his employer’s pension scheme. He owns his own home in St Albans. He receives child maintenance of £400 a month from the non-resident parent. He has savings of £7,000. CT band D (St Albans City). Download calculation 3 |
Scenario 4
| Your client is a single person aged 26, no children. They lost their job two weeks ago, they have already received their last pay before claiming UC. They don’t have any savings or capital. They live alone in a privately rented studio flat in Hitchin. (80 COLERIDGE CLOSE, Hitchin, Herts, SG4 0QY) The rent is £850pcm. Download calculation 4 |
Scenario 5
| Your client aged 29, she works full time with a salary of £25,000, she pays into a pension (5%), she privately rents in Hatfield (postcode: AL10 9JS) (£1200pcm). She is pregnant. The baby is due on 1st July. She is due to start her maternity leave on 1st June. She is entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay but no contractual maternity pay. CT band D. (a) What UC entitlement will she have right now? Download calculation 5a (b) What UC entitlement will she have in June? Download calculation 5b (c) What UC entitlement will she have in August? Download calculation 5c |
Scenario 8
Your client is aged 54, he doesn’t work, he lives with his wife (47) and four children. His wife claims CA. They live together in a five-bed housing association property. The rent is £900pcm. CT band F (Watford) Their children are as follows:
26yo son, FT university student
23yo son, iro PIP daily living (standard rate), & UC with LCWRA
20yo daughter, FT university student
17yo son, FT college student
You should complete a legacy benefit and a UC calculation for this couple. You will need to look up the rules for non-dependants in relation to UC and (sepearately) in relation to HB to complete this calculation.
Scenario 11
Your client is aged 34, she is the joint owner of a property worth £300,000 (with a mortgage of (£200,000). She moved out of the property last month after her relationship broke down. Her husband is still living there. She is living in a privately rented two bed flat in Watford (£1200pcm) with their 6yo daughter (DOB 1/02/17). She works 30 hours a week earning £1300 every 4 weeks. She has nursery costs of £600pcm. CT band D.
You should look up the capital rules in the CPAG handbook to complete this calculation.
(a) calculate her UC entitlement for the 11 months where she is paid just once in the assessment period
(b) calculate her UC entitlement for the 1 month where she is paid twice in the assessment period
Download calculation 11a
Download calculation 11b
Scenario 14
Your client aged 35, she works full time with a salary of £25,000, she has a 4 month old son (born 01/01/23) and an 11yo daughter. She’s currently on Maternity Leave (since 01/12/22) getting SMP only. She rents privately £1200pcm and lives in Watford. CT band A. Her last payslip from March 2023 says £23,450. She intends to return to work FT at the end of her ordinary maternity leave. Her mum will care for the child so she won’t have any childcare costs.
Calculate this client’s legacy benefits
Scenario 12
Your client is a 39 year old single parent with one son (aged 7). He works part-time 20 hours a week at the National Living Wage (£10.42). Last year he worked 20 hours a week at NLW (£9.50). He owns his own home, in Watford, it’s in council tax band B. He receives child maintenance of £400 a month from the non-resident parent. He has savings of £20,000.
First calculate his legacy benefit entitlement, then switch over to the UC calculation. Consider the reason for the difference.
Scenario 16
Your client is aged 32, they live in a privately rented flat in Watford with their 8yo daughter (band B) the rent is £1100 pcm. Last year your client worked 35 hours a week and earned £19167 in the tax year 2022/23 – you can see this figure on her payslip from the end of March. She has been off sick receiving SSP since the beginning of March when she had an operation on her knee. She is confident she will return to work as normal on from 1st June. Her normal wage will be £423 a week.
Calculate legacy benefits and UC entitlement
Extra scenarios for further practice
These are scenarios to give you some further practice. There is a link with each one so that you can download a completed calculation to compare with your answers. Feel free to contact me by email if you are struggling to make your calculation match my answers.
Scenario 6
Your client aged 29, she works full time with a salary of £25,000, she pays into a pension (5%), she privately rents in Hatfield (postcode: AL10 9JS) (£1200pcm). She is pregnant. The baby is due on 1st July. She is due to start her maternity leave on 1st June. She is not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay or contractual maternity pay. She is entitled to Maternity Allowance.What UC entitlement will she have right now?
(a) What UC entitlement will she have right now? Download calculation 6a
(b) What UC entitlement will she have in June? Download calculation 6b
(c) What UC entitlement will she have in August? Download calculation 6c
Scenario 7
Your client is aged 36, her partner is aged 39. They live in privately rented accommodation in Borehamwood paying £1500pcm (WD6 1GQ). They have two children an 11yo daughter and a 6yo son (DOB 01/12/2016). The client works 16 hours a week (£750/month net). Her partner work full-time £22000 (5% pension). (CT band C)
Scenario 9
Your client is aged 36, they live in a shared house in Watford. Their rent is £750 pcm. They have been assessed as having limited capability for both work and work-related activity, since December. They are already claiming ‘new style’ (contributory ESA). CT is included in client’s rent.
Scenario 10
Your client is aged 49, they have LCW but not they do not have LCWRA. Has not made enough NICs to claim nsESA. They live in a three-bedroom HA property in Watford (£550pcm) with their 15yo daughter. Their 19yo son moved out last week. CT band D.
Scenario 13
Your client is a 29 year old single parent with two sons (aged 5 and 11). He has savings of £500. He is a housing association tenant living in a three bedroomed flat his rent is £123 per week. No one else lives in the property. He works part-time (16 hours a week) and takes home £750 a month, it was the same last year. He lives in Watford and is in CT band C.
Calculate both legacy benefit entitlement and UC entitlement – compare using make it monthly
Scenario 15
Your client is aged 49, they have LCW but not they do not have LCWRA. They’ve been claiming irESA since July 2016. They live in a three-bedroom (CT Band C) HA property in Watford (rent = £550pcm) with their 15yo daughter. Their 19yo son moved out last week.
Calculate UC & legacy benefits. Note that you would want to explore the circumstances of the son’s departure. If he was away at University for instance he MIGHT still count as part of the claimant’s household. You might want to consider how this would affect the client’s entitlement.