How long it takes us to pay Housing and Council Tax Benefit

What happens after you send a claim form?

When your claim form reaches us:

• your original documents will be photocopied and returned to you by first class post
• the claim form will be checked for all the necessary information or documents and we will write to you if we need more
• when all the information and documents are received we will calculate your benefit
• a letter will be sent to you (and your landlord, if we are paying them directly) telling you how much benefit you will get, how you will be paid and how often

How long it takes us to pay Benefits

We aim to assess new benefit claims within 14 days, and process changes in your circumstances within 10 days. Currently our performance is as shown in the table below:

However, if you make an appointment at our customer service centre and bring all your documents with you, along with your claim form we can assess your claim more quickly.

Once Housing Benefit is awarded:

• the first payment is made within one week
• subsequent payment is usually made every fortnight or every 4-weeks, depending upon the type of claim

We aim to process all application forms within 7 days of receiving them. However, we often have to contact you or other organisations to ask for more information or evidence.

Until all the information and evidence is received, the benefit cannot be calculated. If you delay your response, your application and benefit also gets delayed. If we receive all the information and evidence with the application form, we can process it in about 7 days.

If you find it difficult to get all the information and documents we need, please contact us for advice.

The law says we must pay you within 14 days of having all the information we need. If you have provided all the information we asked for but are still waiting after 14 days then contact us.

Page last reviewed 16 November 2011