Who is eligible for Housing and Council Tax Benefit

Housing Benefit

You can get Housing Benefit if you are on a low income and liable to pay rent for your accommodation. You will need to pay for any part of your rent that is not covered by Housing Benefit.

Housing Benefit:

• can cover rent to a private landlord or to Oxford City Council, or to a hostel or guesthouse
• may not cover all of your rent in certain circumstances 
• does not normally pay for charges like food, water and personal laundry that may be part of your rent agreement

Housing Benefit is sometimes also called Rent Allowance or Rent Rebate.

Council Tax Benefit

You can get Council Tax Benefit if you are on a low income and liable to pay Council Tax. Council Tax Benefit can cover or pay towards your Council Tax bill.

If you are a full-time student you will not usually have to pay Council Tax. 

If your partner is a student but you are not, you may be able to get Council Tax Benefit.

If you have savings over £16,000 you will not usually get Housing or Council Tax Benefit unless you are 60 or over and receive the Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit).

Student, Self-employed or From Abroad

If you are a student, self-employed person or a person from abroad there are different rules. For more details visit our Students page.

Backdating a Claim

You may also be able to ask for Housing and Council Tax Benefit to start before the date you applied. This is called backdating a claim. To backdate a claim you will need to:

• apply in writing
• show continuous good cause for not applying earlier

Visit our Backdating a Claim page for full details.

Discretionary Housing Payment

If you claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit but still struggle to pay your rent or Council Tax you may be able to get extra help with a Discretionary Housing Payment. Visit our Discretionary Housing Payment page for full details.

Page last reviewed 18 October 2011