When and How to Apply for Housing and Council Tax Benefit

What can I claim for?

• Rent paid to a private landlord or housing association or a council home;
• Paying Council Tax on your home.

Getting Your Application Off to a Good Start

Download the leaflet below for information on how to get started with your Housing and Council Tax benefit claim:

Get Your Benefit Claim off to a Good Start Leaflet (1.1MB PDF)

When can I apply for Housing and Council Tax Benefit?

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

If you think you are going to need help with your rent in the future, you can apply up to 13 weeks in advance.

You may also be able to ask for Housing Benefit to start before the date you applied. This is called backdating a claim.

How do I apply for Housing and Council Tax Benefit?

To apply for Housing Benefit you will need to:

• fill in a Benefits - Council Tax and Housing Benefit Claim Form (12MB PDF)
• fill in a Benefits - Backdated Housing Benefit Claim Form (56kB PDF)
  
• if you are a student fill in a Benefits - Student Claim Form (67kB PDF)
• attach all supporting documents
• return the form(s) with all supporting documents by post or by making an appointment to visit one of our Customer Service Centres.

Information about how to fill in the claim form and what documents you will need to send are given in the claim form. If you have any problems filling in the claim form please contact us.

If you have a partner living with you, you must include your partner in the benefit application. (A partner is a person of the same or opposite sex living with you as part of an established couple).

If you claim Pension Credit, Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance through your Social Security office you can ask to claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit at the same time.

What documents do I need to supply to apply for Housing and Council Tax Benefit?

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 - E.g. birth certificate, passport, driving licence, current Home Office letter, a recent gas or electricity bill. 
• National Insurance number - E.g. National Insurance number cards, payslips or letters from a social security or tax office.
• Savings, investments and property - It is important to declare all savings and investments (E.g. your bank or building society accounts, any premium bonds, National Savings certificates, ISAs, stocks, shares and unit trusts).
• Earnings

• Other income such as:

• Pension credits or pensions - such as current award notices or letters from the Department for Work and Pensions confirming how much you get.
• Maintenance - a letter from the court to advise how much maintenance you receive.
• Boarders/Lodgers - evidence of any money you get from people who pay you for board/ lodgings.
• Other money paid out - such as letters about student grants, pension schemes or receipts for child care costs.
• Benefits/ allowances/ tax credits.
• Private rent/ tenancy - evidence of a rent book, rent receipts, a tenancy agreement or a letter from your landlord. 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.

These documents may also be needed for any other adults living in your home. Only original documents are acceptable and we will return them to you by first class post after keeping a copy.

If you have successfully applied for Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit), Income Support or Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, we will not need proof of your income or capital. If possible, we will get information from the Department for Work and Pensions or the Inland Revenue.

Contact Us

If you are not sure what information to provide or want to find out more please contact us.

Page last reviewed 8 Apr 2011