Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the headings below to go directly to the information you require.

How long does it take to work out peoples benefit?
How will you work out my benefit?
When will my benefit start?
Can I still apply for benefit if I am self-employed?
What does Housing Benefit cover?
How do you work out the maximum rent?
What happens if I can't pay all of my rent?
Can I find out how much benefit I will get before I move into a property?
What happens if I am unhappy with the outcome of my benefit claim?
Am I entitled to make a claim for backdated benefit?
What happens if I go away from my home?
What happens if I rent from a close relative who does not live there?

How long does it take to work out peoples benefit?

Please make sure that you send us all the documents we ask for on the claim form and that you have answered all the questions.

We will try to work out your benefit within two weeks of receiving your claim. This is not always possible, especially if we need more information or documents from you, the Department for Work & Pensions, or the Pension Service. In these cases, we will deal with your claim as quickly as possible once we have received all the information we need.

The quicker you supply all the necessary information or documents the quicker we can deal with your claim.

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How will you work out my benefit?

When we work out your benefit we consider the following things:

• How much money you have coming in
• Your savings & investments
• Your personal circumstances (for example, your age, how many children you have, whether you are disabled, whether you have other people living with you who you do not depend on for support)
• The maximum rent for your property if you are applying for Housing Benefit
• The amount of your Council Tax if you are applying for Council Tax Benefit

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When will my benefit start?

Your benefit will normally start from the Monday after we receive your claim. However, if you receive Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance income-based, your benefit will start from the Monday after your Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance income-based started. This applies as long as we receive your benefit application within one calendar month of your claim for Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance income-based.

If you are over the age of 60, your claim will automatically be backdated for 52 weeks from the Monday after we receive your claim. Please note that additional information will be required showing your income for the whole of the period before we can do this.

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Can I still apply for benefit if I am self-employed?

You can still apply for benefit if you are self-employed. So that we can work out your benefit, we will need to see your latest accounts. If you do not have accounts, or you have been trading for less than 6 months, we will need to see a summary of your accounts and any books you use to make records of your business.

We will usually ask you to fill in a "Self-employed" form as well. This can be obtained by contacting the Benefits Office.

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What does Housing Benefit cover?

Housing Benefit is meant to help with the rent you pay for your home.  It is not meant to help with day-to-day costs like food & heating.  The amount we can consider paying Housing Benefit on is called your 'maximum rent'.  This may not be the same as the rent you have to pay your landlord.  Housing Benefit cannot help with the following:

• Mortgage payments
• The cost of fuel (unless this is for a shared area)
• The cost of meals
• Water charges
• Service charges for doing your washing
• Service charges for cleaning your home (unless you and everyone in your household are not able to do it for themselves)
• Ground rent and service charges for your home if the lease was originally for more than 21 years

If your rent includes any of the above, we will make appropriate deductions when we work out your benefit.  The rules are different if you receive Local Housing Allowance (LHA) and this will not affect you.

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How do you work out the maximum rent?

The amount of Housing Benefit you get may not be the full amount of rent you pay to your landlord.

• You may not receive full rent if:
• Your rent is unreasonably high
• Your home is too large for your needs
• Your rent is higher than is reasonable for your particular home or
• Your rent is higher than the average rent being charged for similar homes in the area

To help us see whether your rent is reasonable, we refer all rent to the Rent Officer Service.  The Rent Service looks at your home and decides on a rent which they consider to be reasonable.  If you are under 25 and live alone, the Rent Service will also tell us what the average rent is for a single bedroom with shared use of a toilet, bathroom, kitchen and living room.  From April 2008 the Local Housing Allowance will replace this for new claims.  People with an existing claim will continue to have their rent referred to the Rent Service.

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What happens if I can't pay all of my rent?

If you are still likely to suffer temporary hardship because we restrict your Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit, then you can apply for extra help. This extra help is known as a Discretionary Housing Payment.

Click here to find out more about Discretionary Housing Payments

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Can I find out how much benefit I will get before I move into a property?

If you have not yet moved into a private property but need to find out the maximum rent figure your benefit would be calculated from, you can ask for a pre-tenancy determination.  You will need to fill in an application form giving details about the property and confirming that you plan to claim Housing Benefit.  The landlord will also need to sign the form.  We will send the form to the Rent Service and ask them what the maximum rent will be for the property you have in mind.  The Rent Service will tell you and us what this maximum rent will be.  This is known as the pre-tenancy determination.  Once you have received this you will be able to establish if there will be a short fall between the maximum Housing Benefit payable and the rent due.

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What happens if I am unhappy with the outcome of my benefit claim?

If you are unhappy with the way we have worked out your benefit, you can ask us to look at your claim again. If you want us to do this, you should write to us within one month of the date of the letter telling you of our decision about your benefit.

Click here for more information about Decisions, Disputes & Appeals.

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Am I entitled to make a claim for backdated benefit?

If you wish to make a claim for backdated benefit you will have to show ‘good cause’ as to why you failed to claim earlier.

We will only consider backdating your claim for benefit if you can show us you had good cause for not claiming benefit earlier and that good cause continued up to the time that you made your claim. Not knowing that you could claim will not normally be considered as a "good cause". However, not claiming because you were in hospital or had severe health problems or a close relative had died would be considered as "good cause".

Click here to find out more information about backdating your benefit.

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What happens if I go away from my home?

If you go away from your home for a week or more you should contact us before you go. If you do not contact us your benefit may stop and you may have to make a new claim on your return. If you contact us first you are still entitled to receive Housing benefit for up to 13 weeks.

If you return after 13 weeks have gone past we will not normally be able to pay you any benefit for the time you were away even if you told us before you left.

There are different rules for people who have to leave their home due to fleeing domestic violence or are remand prisoners.

In all cases you must intend to return to the property within either 13 or 52 weeks (as applicable) and you must not charge somebody else rent for living in your accommodation whilst you are away.

You can contact the benefits office for further information.

Fleeing Domestic Violence

It is possible for Housing benefit to be paid for up to 52 weeks if you have had to leave your home because of fear of domestic violence. If you are in a women’s refuge you should ask one of the workers to contact us, if you feel unable to do so yourself. We will not disclose your refuge address to anyone.

Going to prison

If you are in prison as a remand prisoner you can still receive benefit for up to 52 weeks. If during this time you are sentenced and committed to prison your Housing benefit will stop unless your sentence is for 13 weeks or less. You do not have to inform us before you go to prison to receive benefits however you or a friend, or relative, or a prison social worker should inform us of what has happened as soon as possible.

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What happens if I rent from a close relative who does not live there?

If the relative from who you rent the property does not live there, you can claim Housing Benefit provided that the tenancy is let on a strictly commercial basis. However, further information regarding the arrangements may be requested and each case will be assessed accordingly.

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