Bedroom entitlement calculator

If you rent your home from either a private landlord, Adur Homes or a housing association, there is a limit to how many bedrooms we can take into account when we work out how much Housing Benefit you're entitled to.

The rules allow one bedroom for (up to a maximum of 4):

• every adult couple (married or unmarried)
• anyone aged 16 or over
• any two children of the same sex aged under 16
• any two children under age of 10
• any other child (other than a foster child or child whose main home is elsewhere)
• a child who cannot share because of a disability or medical condition
• a carer providing overnight care but who does not live with you

One spare bedroom is allowed for:

• an approved foster carer with a current placement, or one that has fostered a child or become an approved carer in the last twelve months.

Students and members of the armed or reserve forces are treated as continuing to live at home while they're away. As long as they intend to return home the rules will not apply to their bedroom.

You may be entitled to additional bedrooms if you have recently suffered a bereavement in the household.

If you rent privately and your rent is based on Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates you will need to use the calculator below to work out how many bedrooms your household is entitled to. This determines which LHA category your household is in. You can then check the LHA rates for your category in the area you live in on Current LHA rates.

How many bedrooms you are entitled to

If you have no dependent children living with you:

Choose the description that best matches your living circumstances from those listed below.

A separate property means you either have:

• exclusive use of at least two rooms, or
• exclusive use of one room, and a bathroom and toilet and cooking facilities

• Back to Benefits calculator

If you have dependent children living with you:

Please complete the boxes below to describe who lives in your home:

• Back to Benefits calculator

If you rent your home from Adur Homes or a housing association and have more bedrooms than the government say you need, your benefit will be reduced by:

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

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