What if you are a Student or Self-employed or a person from abroad?

Housing Benefit is affected if somebody is a Student or self-employed or a person from abroad.

Students

Generally, full-time students are not eligible for Housing Benefit.

You may be able to get Housing Benefit if you are a student:

• and disabled
• or have children
• or are of pensionable age (over 60 years)
• or getting Income Support

If you want to claim Housing Benefit:

• fill in a Student form with your new claim form
• note that there are special rules how your benefit will be calculated

Self-employed person

You may be considered as a self-employed person if you are a sole trader or in a business partnership.

If you are a self-employed person:

• you may still qualify for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
• there are special rules how your benefit will be calculated

Person from abroad

You can get Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit only if you are habitually resident in the UK (United Kingdom), the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel islands.

You may be treated as habitually resident if you:

• are an European Economic Area national who has recently been employed or self-employed in the UK
• have been granted a refugee status
• have exceptional leave to enter or stay in the UK
• have been given Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave to remain in the UK

If you are an asylum seeker or a person who is sponsored to be in the UK, you are unlikely to get Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

Page last reviewed 13 Feb 2008