Historical rise in benefits

zagfles

woodbine wrote: »

look for the rate of RPI in september for each year,that was used to increase benefits until this year

No it wasn't. RPI was only used for universal benefits eg child ben, not for means tested benefits which mostly used ROSSI.

Benefits like HB/CTB will of course have gone up with rents & council tax, which rose way above inflation under the last govt.

Also the child elements of benefits (eg CTC and child/family elements in IS) have gone up massively over inflation since 2000. State pensions generally went up with RPI except when inflation was low when it was 2.5% minimum, since they wanted to avoid "peanuts" headlines in the Sun...

So it's not a straightforwards answer

zagfles

See this page on the IFS site for historic benefit rates: http://www.ifs.org.uk/fiscalFacts/taxTables

mumps

zagfles wrote: »

See this page on the IFS site for historic benefit rates: http://www.ifs.org.uk/fiscalFacts/taxTables

That is a useful site, thanks. I think I have it all sorted now, fingers crossed.

[Deleted User]

zagfles wrote: »

No it wasn't. RPI was only used for universal benefits eg child ben, not for means tested benefits which mostly used ROSSI.

Benefits like HB/CTB will of course have gone up with rents & council tax, which rose way above inflation under the last govt.

Also the child elements of benefits (eg CTC and child/family elements in IS) have gone up massively over inflation since 2000. State pensions generally went up with RPI except when inflation was low when it was 2.5% minimum, since they wanted to avoid "peanuts" headlines in the Sun...

So it's not a straightforwards answer

ROSSI was only used in certain circumstances e.g when rpi was 0%(and it has been)not as a general way of updating benefits

zagfles

woodbine wrote: »

ROSSI was only used in certain circumstances e.g when rpi was 0%(and it has been)not as a general way of updating benefits

Sorry, that's rubbish. ROSSI was is use for decades for IS, JSA and its predecessors. It's basically RPI minus rent & council tax, because people on JSA(IB) and IS get untapered CTB and HB to pay for them, so including rent/council tax inflation in JSA/IS inflation would be double counting.

[Deleted User]

i`ll agree to differ,but in some respects we are BOTH correct

zagfles

woodbine wrote: »

i`ll agree to differ,but in some respects we are BOTH correct

You can differ all you like but you're wrong. ROSSI has been used for means tested benefits since 1983. The IFS say so, the parliament web site says so.

OP, have a look at this which gives a good overview of benefit uprating:

http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06141.pdf

bloolagoon

I fail to see how they can use inflation with Housing and also the child element of tax credits that went up 50% a few years ago?

Surely there is no 1 answer as many benefits have had their own individual historic rates?

Take 2013-14. Council Tax depends on where you live, some went up by inflation others not, rents determined by mortage rates, bedroom tax.

I would assume a blanket figure was very difficult to obtain.