Read about the recent updates we've made to the Benefit and Budgeting Calculator
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Live now: changes to your Benefit and Budgeting Calculator
Update: Scotland and Northern Ireland welfare systems now included

Your Benefit and Budgeting Calculator now fully models the welfare systems in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This allows advisors in these regions to give accurate advice on specific Scotland related benefit such as Carer's Allowance Supplement, and Northern Ireland related benefits such as:

  • Rate relief
  • Rate Rebate (Housing Benefit)
  • Rate Rebate (Universal Credit)
  • Supplementary Welfare Payments

The calculator also provides a calculation of the rate charge for each property and the likely Supplementary Welfare Payment, if this is not known.

We have also update the alerts in the 'Information about your case' section to include information that is specific to these regions.
Update: 'Change your earnings' feature flags up a potential move to Universal Credit

We've amended the slider feature that allows you to model changes to earnings so that now more clearly shows whether the changes in hours means a possible move to Universal Credit. If the case being modelled is displaying legacy benefits, the graph now shows the possible outcome for both legacy benefits and Universal Credit. The graph also supplies a note regarding the possible move to Universal Credit if hours change, which should help you advise people on the implications of taking up further work or of a change in earnings.

New questions: LHA rate, self-employment

We have added some new questions to help you to improve the accuracy of the results shown in the calculator. The new questions ask:

  • If the user has lived in a homeless hostel or is an ex-offender subject to multi-agency management - these questions help determine which LHA rate should be used for single people aged between 25 and 35
  • If the user or partner is a self-employed childminder; income from self-employed childminding is treated specially during benefit calculations
Coming up: Benefit and Budgeting Calculator Steering Group

Join us on the afternoon of Thursday 25 July at 14:30 in Westminster to:
  • Learn best practices from other calculator users
  • Help us prioritise new functionality and features for 2019
  • Steer the calculator's development roadmap

Register for the event by clicking here.
We run free introductory training webinars for all our customers. Scheduled every month and lasting 45 minutes, the online sessions go through the main features of the Benefit and Budgeting Calculator. Perfect for introducing new users or refreshing existing users.

Our next online training session is Tuesday 6th August, 12:00 - 12:45.

Report bugs and suggest improvements

Please report any bugs or errors in the calculator via the online chat facility, or by clicking on the button below. Please also tell us what enhancements or brand new features you'd like to see in your calculator.

Need help?

Email helpdesk@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 388 9242. The quickest way to get a response is via the built in help functionality at the bottom right of your Benefit and Budgeting Calculator screen.


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