How to claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit

How to claim

To claim Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit or both, you will need to:

• complete and return a claim form
• provide necessary evidence

We will then assess whether you are entitled to benefit and send you a decision notice.

If you qualify for benefit:

• we will tell you how much you will get
• how the benefit will be paid
• and when you will get your first payment. Benefit usually starts from the Monday after we have received your claim.

If you are interested in making a claim please contact us. Our staff can offer a quick calculation to see if you may be entitled, and send a form to you.

You can also download an application form below:

Council Tax and Benefit application form

What can I claim for?

You can claim for:

•  rent paid to a private landlord or housing association or a council home;
•  paying Council Tax on your home

Who can claim?

To claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit you must generally be on a low income.

For example:

• you work full or part time and receive a low wage;
• you receive Incapacity Benefit, Jobseeker's Allowance or any other state benefit.

Savings restrictions:

You cannot claim if you and your partner have savings of more than £16,000 (unless you receive Pension Guarantee Credit.)

When should I claim?

You should claim as soon as possible. If you delay in claiming, you may lose benefit.

How much benefit will I be paid?

Housing and Council Tax Benefit can cover up to 100% of your rent and Council Tax.

The amount of benefit that you receive will depend on many things, for example:

• how many children you have;
• whether you have a partner;
• how much income and savings you and your partner have;
• if anyone in your household is disabled;
• whether your rent includes fuel bills, meals or water charges;
• how much rent you pay;
• how much Council Tax you pay.

What evidence must be supplied when I make my claim?

We must see original documents, not copies, to support your claim for benefit.

We will need to see documents to confirm the following things for you and any partner:

Proof of identity - such as birth certificate, passport, driving licence, current Home Office letter, or recent gas or electricity bill. We may need to see several of these documents for each person.

National Insurance number - such as National Insurance number cards, payslips or letters from a social security or tax office.

Savings, investments and property - such as all your bank, building society or post office books; 2 months bank statements; and certificates for premium bonds, National Savings certificates, ISAs, stocks, shares and unit trusts.

Earnings - this means your last five payslips if you are paid weekly, your last three payslips if you are paid every two weeks, or your last two payslips if you are paid monthly. If you or your partner is self-employed, we need to see your last audited accounts or, if you have recently commenced trading, a summary of your trading so far. We can supply a form.

Other income - such as pension slips from a former employer, or a letter from the court showing how much maintenance you are getting. We need to see evidence of any money you get from people who pay you for board and lodgings.

Benefits, allowances, tax credits, pension credits or pensions - such as current award notices or letters from the Department for Work and Pensions confirming how much you get.

Private rent and tenancy - such as a rent book, rent receipts, a tenancy agreement or a letter from your landlord.

Other money paid out - such as letters about student grants, pension schemes or receipts for child care costs.

If you cannot provide us with the evidence we need at the time that you make your claim, send the form back to us straight away and send the evidence later.

We can start to process your claim as soon as we get your form, but we will not be able to pay you any benefit until we have all of the evidence we need.

How is my benefit paid?

If you are a council tenant, your benefit is paid directly to your rent account.

If you are not a council tenant, we will pay your housing benefit fortnightly, four-weekly or monthly in arrears. Payment will be made by cheque or directly into your bank account, depending on your circumstances.

If you ask us to pay directly to your landlord, payment will be made four-weekly in arrears.

If you ask for payments to be made to you and you fall behind with paying your rent by eight weeks or more, your landlord can ask us to pay your housing benefit directly to them.

Council Tax benefit will show as a reduction on your Council Tax bill.

Is there other help available with my Council Tax?

You may be able to claim second adult rebate.

This rebate is not normally available to couples.

You may be entitled to this rebate instead of Council Tax benefit if:

• You are the only person in the household liable to pay Council Tax; and
• You have another adult on a low income living with you who is not your partner or someone paying rent.

Page last reviewed 17 Sep 2008

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