The purpose of Housing and Council Tax Benefit is to help people who are on a low income to pay their rent and Council Tax. Assessment is means tested and based on who you live with and the size of your family.
You cannot get Housing or Council Tax Benefit if you, and any partner have more than £16,000 in savings, unless you are in receipt of the guaranteed element of pension credit. Savings up to the £16,000 limit will be taken into account when working out your benefit. Different rules about savings apply if you have reached pensionable age.
Important Housing Benefit changes from April 2011
If you’re already claiming, we will contact you directly if you are likely to be affected by these changes:
- From 1st April 2011, the Government started making changes to the way we calculate Housing Benefit for people who rent from a private landlord.
- These changes now include the rules that apply to single people, aged between 25 and 34, who are living in self-contained accommodation. From January 2012, single people in this age group will only be entitled to the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) shared accommodation rate.
- For background information about the changes, please visit the DirectGov website.
Council Tax Benefit
Council Tax Benefit is paid to people who pay Council Tax on their home. The benefit is paid by reducing the amount of Council Tax they have to pay to the Council. This reduction will be shown on their Council Tax bill.
Second Adult Rebate
This is another type of Council Tax Benefit which does not depend on the claimant's own income and savings. Second Adult Rebate is awarded when the claimant has a second adult in his or her home who is on a low income. This would usually be another member of the family or household who is not a partner, such as an elderly parent or adult child. This benefit is not available if the person pays the claimant a rent to live in their home.
Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit is paid to people who pay rent on their home to a Housing Association or to a private landlord. You can claim regardless of whether you rent the whole of the property or just part of it. If you are a tenant of Somer Housing Association the benefit is normally paid by reducing the amount of rent payable to Somer.
If you rent from a private landlord, we will work out your benefit using the The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) Scheme. This doesn't make any difference to the entitlement rules for Housing Benefit – these will still be based on a person's income, savings and proof of rent etc. However with LHA, tenants will receive payments direct to their Bank or Building Society account and will be responsible for paying their rent themselves. To find out more visit our LHA pages.
Can I find out how much benefit I might get?
You can use the DirectGov benefits adviser service to check how much you might be entitled to. (Remember that this calculation is an estimate based on the information you supply and should be used as a rough guide only.)
How do I make a claim?
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pays Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance. At the same time the DWP will also take your claim for Housing and Council Tax Benefit over the phone and pass it onto us. If you have not made a claim through the DWP you can apply directly to us.
The best way to make a claim for Housing or Council Tax Benefit is to visit one of our local Council Connect Offices.
In order to evaluate your claim, we will need details of who lives in your home, how much income and savings you have, and how much rent you pay. You will also need to supply proof of any income and/or savings. If the necessary evidence cannot be supplied when the application is submitted, you will have a maximum of one calendar month to provide it.
How is Housing Benefit paid?
Housing Benefit is normally paid by BACS to the claimant and payments are made every fortnight in arrears. However in some cases we can arrange for the Housing Benefit to be paid direct to the landlord. Payments to landlords are 4 weekly in arrears.
Can I claim Child Tax Credits?
Child Tax Credit is a single tax credit aimed at families with children. This replaced the child element of Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Working Families Tax Credit and Disabled Persons Tax Credit and also the Children's Tax Credit.
Can I claim Working Tax Credits?
Working Tax Credit is aimed at those in work and on a low income. This replaced the adult element of Working Families Tax Credit and Disabled Persons Tax Credit and the employment element of the New Deal 50+.
Nine out of 10 families will be entitled to tax credits, but you don't need to have children to qualify. If you do have children, you could be entitled to Child Tax Credit if your income is up to £58,000 a year or £66,000 a year if your child is under one. You may also get Working Tax Credit if you have children and you or your partner work at least 16 hours per week; or if you do not have children and are over 25 and work 30 hours a week.
You can work out the amount of tax credit you could be entitled to on Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs website. You can apply online or contact the Tax Credit helpline on 0845 300 3900. HMRC enquiry staff are now based at the Guildhall Council Connect Office, where you can book an appointment to get advice on all tax related enquiries.