What is Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit?
Who can claim?
How do I apply for Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit?
When does my benefit start and end?
What if I am renting from a private landlord?
Is there anything else that Housing and Council Tax Benefit will not cover?
How is my Housing/Council Tax Benefit worked out and how much would I get?
How and when will my benefit be paid?
What if I want my Housing Benefit to be paid direct to my landlord?
What is a Non-Dependant deduction?
What is Second Adult Rebate?

What is Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit?

They are national welfare benefits administered by Local Councils.

Housing Benefit is to help people on a low income to pay their rent.

For private tenants, this is known as the Local Housing Allowance.

Council Tax Benefit is to help people on a low income to pay their Council Tax bill.

Both benefits can be claimed for at the same time by someone who has to pay both rent and council tax.

Who can claim?

You can claim Housing and or Council Tax Benefit if:

You (or your partner) are liable to pay the rent and/or Council Tax on a property you are occupying as your home, and have less than £16000 in joint savings, unless you are in receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit.

You cannot claim Council Tax Benefit on a 'second' home.

Most full-time students cannot claim Housing Benefit unless they are also;

· getting Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance
· a Lone Parent
· disabled

Other special circumstances apply. If you are a student and not sure if you can claim, contact the Benefit Section.

How do I apply for Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit?

To claim benefit you must fill in an application form and send it to the Benefits Section. You can either download the claim form, or contact us and we will send you one by post.

Make sure you complete and return the form immediately you realise you need help to pay your rent/council tax, as benefit is normally paid from the Monday after the first indication of a wish to claim. If you haven't got all the evidence we ask for in support of your claim, send whatever you have got to us with the form straightaway. You can send the rest in within one calendar month. We will write to you for any further information we need.

When does my benefit start and end?

Your benefit will normally start on the Monday following the first indication of your wish to claim, provided your completed claim form is received within one month of this date.

Other conditions apply to people getting Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based).

If you want your benefit to start from an earlier date, you can write and ask us to consider backdating your claim. However, backdated benefit is only awarded in very exceptional circumstances.

Your benefit ends when entitlement stops. You will normally be paid up to and including the Sunday following the date your circumstances changed.

What if I am renting from a private landlord?

If you rent your home from a private landlord, please use this link Local Housing Allowance section. If however, you are a boarder or lodger in someone Else's home we have to send your details to an independent Rent Service for a decision on whether the rent you pay is reasonable.

Is there anything that Housing and Council Tax Benefit will not cover?

Under the Local Housing Allowance Benefit will be based on a flat rate allowance. If you do not fall within the Local Housing Allowance Scheme you may have a reduction for services such as water, gas, electric, meals or laundry. This means that you will have to pay those charges yourself.

How is my Housing/Council Tax Benefit worked out and how much would I get?

• All Councils work out benefit in the same way, using rules set by Government. The amount you get depends on four things:
• How much money you have coming in. We add together your earning and your partner's (if you have one) and any other income either of you receive.
• How much savings you have. We add together your savings and your partner's. If you have savings of more than £16,000 you will not be able to get benefit unless you receive Pension Guarantee Credit.
• The money you need to live on. This depends on your personal circumstances (for example, your age, how many children you have ). We use a weekly allowance called an Applicable Amount to work out how much you need to live on. This amount is set each year by Government.
• The amount of rent / Local Housing Allowance and/or council tax you pay.

If you are on Income Support, Income based Job Seekers Allowance or Pension Guarantee Credit, you are automatically entitled to receive maximum benefit.

If you are not receiving any of the above benefits, your benefit is calculated by comparing your Applicable Amount with the amount of money you have coming in each week.

If your income is equal to or less than the Applicable Amount then you will get maximum benefit.

If your income is more than the Applicable Amount then a further calculation is made.

For Housing Benefit we deduct 65% of your excess income from the rent eligible for benefit and you receive the difference.

For Council Tax Benefit we deduct 20% of your excess income from the council tax eligible for benefit and you receive the difference.

How and when will my benefit be paid?

If paid directly to you, your Housing Benefit will be paid directly into your bank every 2 weeks in arrears.

If paid to your landlord, it will be paid directly into your landlords bank every 4 weeks in arrears.

Your Council Tax Benefit will be credited direct to your Council Tax account, reducing the bill you have to pay.

What if I want my Housing Benefit to be paid direct to my landlord?

If you are a Housing Association or Social Housing Tenant you can choose to have payment made to your landlord (refer to page 21 of the Housing and Council Tax Benefits Application Form Opens in a new window. The landlord must also confirm this arrangement by signing the form.

If you are a private tenant there is a separate form to request direct payment (for this form Tel: 01276 707121 and request form LHA1 Direct Payment Request. If agreed, payment to a landlord will be made every 4 weeks in arrears.

What is a Non-Dependant deduction?

A non-dependant is a person over 18 years of age who normally lives with you. They are usually adult sons, daughters, other relatives or friends.

The Government assumes that the non-dependant should be making a contribution to the household expenses and therefore a deduction is made from your weekly Housing Benefit and/ or Council Tax Benefit to take this contribution into account.
The amount of the deduction depends upon the non-dependant's circumstances, that is, their age and income.

What is Second Adult Rebate?

Second Adult Rebate is a benefit you can claim if your income, savings or investments are too high for you to qualify for Council Tax benefit.

You may claim Second Adult Rebate if you have at least one non-dependant adult, who is on a low income, living with you. Under normal circumstances a partner or lodger will not entitle you to claim Second Adult Rebate.