Resources to help when using Quick Ben
Benefits rates posters for the current year and the previous year
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
Watford – see the table on page 2
Hertsmere – see the table at the bottom of the page – you’ll need to cross-reference this with the Parish information from Casebook
Three Rivers – you’ll need to cross-reference this with the Parish information from Casebook
Powerpoint slides
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 Rickmansworth (Flat 9, Waterdell Place, WD3 8GE). The rent is £850pcm. Download calculation 1 |
Scenario 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 B (Aldenham parish – Hertsmere) 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 owns his own home. He receives child maintenance of £400 a month from the non-resident parent. He has savings of £7,000. CT band C (Elstree & Borehamwood parish – Hertsmere) Download calculation 3 |
Scenario 4
| Your client is a 29 year old single parent with two sons (aged 5 and 11). He has savings of £500. He is a private tenant living in a two-bedroom flat in Watford his rent is £1,300 per calendar month. No one else lives in the property. He works part-time (20 hours a week) and takes home £1000 a month. (2 Percy Road WATFORD, WD18 0QA) Download calculation 4 |
Scenario 7
Your client is aged 36, her partner is aged 39. They live in privately rented accommodation in Watford paying £1500pcm. They have two children an 11yo daughter and a 6yo son (DOB 01/02/2017). The client works 16 hours a week (£750/month net). Her partner works full-time £22000 (5% pension). (CT band C)
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 spent all her other savings on a deposit and rent in advance for the flat. 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
– Homework exercise –
Your client is a 33-year-old single parent with three children (son aged 7, and daughters aged 2 and 11). She has savings of £5,500. She is a private tenant living in a two bedroom flat in Watford (WD18 0QA) her rent is £1525 per calendar month. No one else lives in the property. She’s in Council Tax Band C. She receives Child Benefit of £223.20 every 4 weeks (on a Monday).
She works part-time (16 hours a week) and is paid the National Living Wage. She is paid every 4 weeks (on a Thursday), her most recent pay was last week. She does not pay into a pension.
She made a Universal Credit claim last Friday (the day after she was paid) but the Universal Credit helpline says they can’t tell her how much she is entitled to until the end of the month.
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.
Download legacy benefit calculation | Download universal credit calculation | Download make it monthly comparison
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 (separately) in relation to HB to complete this calculation.
Download legacy benefit calculation | Download universal credit calculation | Download make it monthly comparison
Scenario 18
Your client is aged 65. She has recently stopped working due to ill health. She’s in receipt of PIP daily living at the standard rate (no mobility) and New Style ESA with the LCRWA component (awarded last week). Her husband is aged 70 and in receipt of a full new state pension. They live together in a 2 bed HA property in Watford. Their rent is £104 a week. The property is in CT band C. They have no savings or capital.
(a) calculate their entitlement assuming they are on under the Universal Credit system
(b) calculate their entitlement if they are entitled to Pension Credit instead by virtue of the transitional protection (ie. they have claimed PC since before 15/05/2019)
Download universal credit calculation | Download pension credit calculation | Download make it monthly comparison
Scenario 19
Your client is aged 68. She receives the full new state pension. She is an owner occupier, living in Shenley. She has £20k in savings. Her property is in CT band D. The client is now a full-time carer for the 89 year old mother who has dementia (claims AA) and lives next door.