Our IT people are looking around for a Benefits calculation programme which the public could possibly use on our revamped website, which:-

1. Needs to be be easy to use
2. Actually arrives at a figure of possible entitlement (depending upon the information entered into it of course)
3. preferably has two sections - one for over 60's and one for the working age benefits.

The ones we've looked at so far take time to wade through, and one or two don't actually give a figure - but just say (for example) you may be entitled to pension credit, contact the Pension Service - not quite what we had in mind.

Has anyone out there got a working calculator that meets the criteria, or are we looking for the impossible......

We're looking at the same thing with similar problems found.

The problem is that everyone just wants a 'simple answer to a simple question' when usually it is nothing of the sort.

So far we'd looked at Lissom Grove and a web based one called entitledto.com (I think). I found the latter quite difficult to use and someone else tried the Lisson Grove one so not sure what they thought of that.

If anyone does discover the holy grail I would like to hear too.

there also the newly updated ones from QuickCalc @

http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/cgi-bin/publisher/display.cgi?1255-4104-6382+swopshop

We've looked at other programmes such as Quickcalc, but even that hasn't been developed to the point where it could be used easily by members of the public using a LA website. I think we're fast reaching the conclusion that what we're looking for isn't available - yet.

What benefits are you wanting the calculator to consider?

What we were looking for was a Web based calculator into which any member of the public could enter their details and it would be able tell them what they could be (or should be) entitled to across a range of benefits - I/S, HB, CTB, etc. Basically, a user friendly version of the Lissom Grove quick ben calculator.

The ones we have found are either too long, or too complicated, too expensive) and in some cases seem to be designed only to give a definative answer for HB/CTB.