17. Capital limits
There is a
‘lower capital limit’ and an
‘upper capital limit’. You cannot get universal credit if your capital is above the upper limit of £16,000. This figure applies whether you are claiming as a single claimant or as a couple. If your capital is at or below the lower limit of £6,000, universal credit is unaffected. If your capital is between the lower and upper limits, it is treated as generating a monthly income (see
18 below ).
Some types of capital are disregarded for these capital limits (see 21 to 27 below). You can also be treated as having capital that you may not actually possess: this is called ‘notional capital’ (see
28 below ).
Whose capital is included? – If you are one of a couple (see
Chapter 14(3) ), your partner’s capital is added to yours. Otherwise, only your own capital is taken into account. Capital belonging to dependent children
is disregarded.
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