Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit helps with your housing costs only if you live in supported or temporary accommodation.

If you are not in one of the groups that can claim Housing Benefit to help with housing costs, you can find out if you are entitle to Universal Credit on the GOV.UK website (external link).

If you or your partner are pension-age, you either claim help with housing costs from Surrey Heath Borough Council, or you claim help with housing costs from Universal Credit - it depends on your circumstances.

If you are self-employed, and do not have accounts for your last full year of trading, you can complete the Self-Employed Pro Forma form. This form needs to be completed in addition to the main application form. If we need additional information we will contact you once the form has been submitted.

Mixed age couples, pensioner couples and single pensioners

A ‘mixed age’ couple is a couple where one member is pension age and and the other is working age.

If you are part of a mixed age couple and you don’t already get either Housing Benefit or Pension Credit, and you need help with your housing costs, you must claim Universal Credit. When you make your Universal Credit claim, you should also state that you want to claim Council Tax Support.

If you are part of a mixed age couple and you already get Pension Credit, you must to make a new claim for Housing Benefit. We will work out if you are entitled to help with your council tax at the same time. If you are part of a mixed-age couple that already gets Housing Benefit, you can make a new claim for Pension Credit instead of claiming Universal Credit.

If you are a single pensioner or part of a couple who are both pension-age, the rules haven’t changed. Universal Credit is not open to you. You can continue to claim Pension Credit through the Pension Service, and if you need help with housing costs, claim Housing Benefit separately from us. We will work out if you are entitled to help with your council tax at the same time.

More information about Pension Credit can be found on the GOV.UK website (external link).

Apply for Housing Benefit

If you are in one of the groups listed above that can claim Housing Benefit. You can make your application online using the Citizens Access Benefits system.

Login or register Citizens Access Benefits

If you cannot fill the form in online, you can contact us and request one to be sent by post.

Housing Benefit is normally paid on the Monday after we receive the form. If you do not have all of 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.