What is the under occupation charge or bedroom tax?

The under occupation charge is also known in the media as the ‘bedroom tax’.

It is is the reduction of Housing Benefit entitlement if you have a ‘spare bedroom’: If you have one spare bedroom your benefit will be cut by 14% and if you have two or more spare bedrooms you will lose 25%.

This charge only affects working age people and doesn’t apply to pensioners.

Each person or couple within the household will have a bedroom. Children under 16 of the same gender are expected to share. Children under 10 are expected to share even if they are of different gender.