Rent-a-Room Scheme Breakeven Calculator (UK, 2026)
Should you use HMRC\u2019s £7,500 Rent-a-Room allowance or claim actual expenses on lodger income? We compare both routes with council tax and joint-ownership treatment.
Your lodger setup
Annual: £7,800
Required for Rent-a-Room relief.
Must share kitchen/living for RaR (not self-contained).
Bills and expenses
If you include bills, they count as "actual expense" when calculating that route.
Gas, electric, water, broadband share attributable to lodger.
Extra cleaning, occasional maintenance, lodger insurance endorsement.
Rent-a-Room scheme — UK, 2026
Earn up to £7,500 tax-free from a lodger — but only if Rent-a-Room beats claiming actual expenses.
Compare HMRC’s Rent-a-Room allowance against claiming actual bills + 5% wear-and-tear, factoring the council tax single-person discount you lose when a lodger moves in.
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How This Tool Works
HMRC\u2019s Rent-a-Room scheme lets owner-occupiers earn up to £7,500/year tax-free (£3,750 each for joint owners) from a lodger. But it\u2019s not always the better option — if you include bills in the rent, or the rent is modest, or you\u2019re jointly owned, claiming actual expenses with a 5% wear-and-tear allowance can beat the headline £7,500. This tool runs both routes, deducts the council tax single-person discount you\u2019ll lose, and shows your break-even weekly rent.Read our full guide: Maximising Rental Income: When Does the Rent-a-Room Scheme Really Pay Off?
- 1Enter your weekly rent and property details.
- 2Tell us whether bills are included in the rent.
- 3Choose sole or joint ownership (threshold changes).
- 4Pick your tax band and eligibility flags.
- 5We compute Rent-a-Room net income.
- 6We compute actual-expenses net income.
- 7We deduct the council tax single-person discount loss.
- 8We show your break-even weekly rent and the winning route.
Complete Guide: Rent-a-Room Scheme (UK, 2026)
How the £7,500 allowance works, when actual expenses win, and the hidden council tax cost.
📅 Last updated: August 2026
Quick Tips
Jump-start your understanding with these essential tips
The allowance has not risen with inflation, so its real-terms value is about 25% lower than when it doubled in 2016. Treat it as a solid baseline, not a generous one.
If income is below £7,500 you don't even need to tell HMRC unless you already file Self Assessment. Above that, you tick the "claim Rent-a-Room" box on your return.
Married couples or co-owners get £3,750 each — not £7,500 each. This catches many people out.
To claim actual expenses, keep receipts for utilities, maintenance, and any lodger-specific costs. HMRC can ask to see them.
Take a lodger without notifying your home insurer and your policy may be void. A lodger endorsement usually costs £20–£40/yr — factor it into "other expenses".
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these steps to get the most from this tool
This is what you charge the lodger each week. £150/wk is typical for a UK lodger in a house with all bills included.
If bills are included, estimate the lodger's share of utilities + council tax + broadband. Typically £80–£150/month.
Sole owners get £7,500 tax-free. Joint owners 50/50 get £3,750 each — critical distinction.
Higher-rate (40%) and additional-rate (45%) taxpayers benefit most from Rent-a-Room because the alternative route taxes any remaining profit at their band.
You must be owner-occupier and the lodger must share living space. If either is false, Rent-a-Room is unavailable and you're auto-routed to actual expenses.
The chart shows monthly net income under both routes across £50–£250/wk. Where the lines cross is your break-even rent. To the right of that, Rent-a-Room wins; to the left, actual expenses usually win.
Advanced Topics
Deep dives for advanced users
(1) Rent £150+/wk with modest bills. (2) Sole ownership. (3) Higher or additional-rate taxpayer. (4) Minimal lodger-specific expenses. The allowance shelters the bulk of income and the 5% wear-and-tear from the actual route is usually too small to compete.
(1) Joint ownership (halves the threshold). (2) Generous bills included (£150+/month). (3) Low weekly rent (£100 or less). (4) Lodger-specific capex — e.g. you added an en-suite for the lodger, depreciable over 8 years. In these cases actual expenses can beat RaR by £300–£800/yr.
If one spouse is basic rate and the other is higher rate, consider transferring 100% ownership of the rented portion to the basic-rate spouse via a Declaration of Trust (DoT). Requires legal guidance but can save £1,000+/yr on a high-rent lodger.
Most residential mortgages allow a lodger without permission but check your lender's terms. Home insurance almost always requires notification. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 means failure to disclose can void a claim — not worth the risk for the sake of a phone call.
See Airbnb vs Long Let if you're weighing short-lets instead, or Landlord Rental Yield for full buy-to-let analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
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