Inheritance and benefits

Your savings affect means-tested benefits. These are benefits based on your savings and income. These include:

• Universal Credit
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• tax credits (Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit)
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Support

Benefits not affected by savings

You need to let the relevant benefits office know if your savings increase. If you do not, you could be:

• fined
• paid too much which you may have to pay back

How to report a change in your circumstances (GOV.UK)

The DWP sets a limit of £16,000 in savings to be eligible for:

• Universal Credit
• Income-based JSA
• Income-related ESA
• Income Support
• Housing Benefit if you’re under State Pension age

If your savings are:

• under £6,000, your benefit claim is not affected by your savings
• between £6,000 and £16,000, you lose some of your benefit payment
• more than £16,000, you’re not eligible

Every £250 over £6,000 counts as if you had:

• £4.35 of monthly income for Universal Credit
• £1 of weekly income for Income-based JSA, Income-related ESA, Income Support and Housing Benefit

Refusing or giving away your inheritance could be treated as deprivation of capital.

Housing Benefit

The rules for Housing Benefit are different if you’re over State Pension age.

You can have up to £10,000 in savings before it affects your claim. Every £500 over that amount counts as £1 of weekly income.

If you get Pension Credit guarantee credit, you can have more than £16,000 in savings without it stopping your claim.

If you claim Housing Benefit jointly with someone who is below State Pension age, the working age savings limit of £6,000 applies before it affects your claim.

Tax credits

These limits do not apply to tax credits. What you’re entitled to is based on your income last year, which includes interest on savings.

What counts as income for tax credits (GOV.UK)

Check if a change affects your tax credits (Citizens Advice)

Pension Credit

The rules are different for Pension Credit. The first £10,000 does not count. But every £500 over that amount counts as £1 of income. There is no upper savings limit for Pension Credit.

Use the Pension Credit calculator to see if you’re eligible.

Inheriting a property like a flat or house may count towards your savings. It’s likely that it will take you over the £16,000 savings limit and affect any means-tested benefits you receive. This includes Housing Benefit.

There are some situations when the value of a property does not count as savings. This is called ‘disregarded property’.

Any property that you live in as your main home will not count towards your savings.

Dealing with the financial affairs of someone who has died (Citizens Advice)

Get free advice about your money (MoneyHelper)