MRAssociates — Glossary

In the context of a benefit claim, eligibility criteria are the basic conditions of entitlement that are used to determine quickly whether the claimant is the kind of person who might be entitled to this benefit, for example:

• The person’s age
• Whether they have any children
• Whether they have capital above a certain amount

In Housing Benefit the eligibility criteria are that the claimant is liable to make payments for a dwelling that s/he occupies as his/her home, subject to a means test. If the conditions of eligibility and/or occupation are not met there is no point considering the detailed provisions of the means test.