Housing Benefit
Last updated April 2007
- What is it?
- Can I get it?
- What else should I know?
- How much will I get?
- How do I claim?
- You can download a Housing Benefit claim form
- If you disagree with the council's decision
- I am already getting it. What happens if:
- I go into hospital or someone I claim for goes into hospital?
- I go to live abroad or visit?
- I am part of a service family living abroad or visiting?
- I start work but my sickness or disability means I have to stop again?
- I start voluntary work?
- I go into a residential care or nursing home?
- More information
- Other help
- Definitions
This benefit is dealt with by your local council.
What is it?
- Sometimes called rent rebate or rent allowance.
- Paid by local councils.
- You do not have to get any other benefits.
- You may get it if you are in or out of work.
Can I get it?
Are you:
- on a low income?
- paying rent?
If YES to both, claim Housing Benefit.
What else should I know?
If you have recently come to Great Britain, please first check extra rules if you come from abroad.
If you live with a partner, only one of you can get Housing Benefit.
Unless you are aged 60 or over and receive the guarantee credit of Pension
Credit, savings over £16,000 usually mean you cannot get Housing Benefit.
Savings over £3,000 (£6,000 if you or your partner are aged 60 or over) affect how much Housing Benefit you can get. From 10 April 2006, this will increase to £6,000 for all.
There are special rules if you are single and aged under 25 years.
If you have come to the United Kingdom (UK) within two years of your claim, this may affect Housing Benefit.
Most asylum seekers and people who are sponsored to be in the UK cannot get Housing Benefit.
You cannot usually get Housing Benefit if you live in a close relative's household.
You cannot usually get Housing Benefit if you are a full-time student, unless you are disabled or have children.
We use partner to mean a person you are married to or a person you are living with as if you are married to them.
How much will I get?
To work out your Housing Benefit, the council will look at:
- money you and your partner have coming in, including earnings, some benefits and tax credits and things like occupational pensions
- your savings and your partner's savings
- your circumstances, such as your age, the ages and size of your family, whether you or any of your family are disabled, and whether anyone who lives with you could help with the rent.
The council will also look at whether:
- the amount of rent is reasonable for your particular home
- your home is a reasonable size for you and your family
- the amount of rent is reasonable for the area your home is in.
The most Housing Benefit you can get is the same as your eligible rent. This may not be the same as your full rent.
The rates used to work out your Housing Benefit payment are generally the same as the allowance and premiums that make up Pension Credit, Income Support and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). There are a few exceptions listed below.
Only use the amounts shown as a guide. The rules for benefits mean that your individual circumstances may affect the amount you get. This means you will not always be able to work out exactly how much you will get by using these amounts.
Weekly amount
Premium for people with preserved rights |
|
|---|---|
Family premium (lone parent rate) |
£22.20 |
Weekly amounts deducted
Deductions for non-dependants |
||
|---|---|---|
| Non-dependant receiving Pension Credit | nil | |
Aged 25 or over and receiving Income Support or income-based JSA, or aged 18 or over and not in paid work |
£7.40 |
|
Aged 18 or over and in paid work with gross weekly income: |
||
|
£7.40 |
|
|
£17.00 |
|
|
£23.35 |
|
|
£38.20 |
|
|
£43.50 |
|
|
£47.75 |
|
Deductions for meals included in the rent |
||
|
adult |
child under 16 |
Three or more meals a day |
£21.10 |
£10.65 |
Less than three a day |
£14.05 |
£7.05 |
Breakfast only |
£2.60 |
£2.60 |
Deductions for fuel charges included in the rent |
||
More than one room |
heating |
£15.45 |
hot water |
£1.80 |
|
lighting |
£1.25 |
|
cooking |
£1.80 |
|
all fuel |
£20.30 |
|
| One room | heating (alone or in combination with hot water or lighting or both) |
£9.25 |
| cooking | £1.80 | |
How do I claim?
Claim straight away. If you delay you may lose benefit.
You can claim up to 13 weeks before you become entitled to Housing Benefit. So if you know you are moving to a new address soon, you can claim Housing Benefit. You will not usually receive any money before you move in.
Contact your social security office for a claim form. Find your local office on this site or look for the Benefits Agency display advert in the business numbers section of the phone book.
If you claim Pension Credit, Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance you will get forms to claim Housing Benefit with your claim pack. Complete and return these forms to your local council.
If you do not claim Pension Credit, Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance you can get forms for Housing Benefit from your local council. You can find the address of your local council in the business numbers section of the phone book. Look under the name of your County Council, Borough Council, City Council, or in some areas, new Unitary Authority or London Borough. If you live in Scotland look under the name of your Regional or Island Council.
It is important that we can be sure of your identity when you make a claim. We may need to ask you about your background and look at any official documents you have to support the information you give.
The Pension Service can now help you apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit at the same time as your application for Pension Credit. Phone the Pension Credit Application Line on 0800 99 123 4. The application line is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.
For people with speech or hearing difficulties a textphone number is available. The number is 0800 169 0133. You will require access to textphone facilities.
You can download a Housing Benefit claim form
You can download a Housing Benefit claim form in PDF format. This form does not apply in Northern Ireland.
The form comes with notes that will help you fill in the form and tell you where to send the completed form.
If you are having technical difficulties:
- downloading the form or printing a hard copy.
Please contact the eService Helpdesk.
If you disagree with the council's decision
If you have received a decision about Housing Benefit and think it is wrong you can:
- ask the local council for the decision to be looked at again
- ask for an explanation of the decision
- ask for a statement of reasons
- appeal to an independent appeal tribunal administered by the Appeals Service.
If you want the council to look at the decision again or if you want to appeal against it, you must do so within one month of the date on the decision letter.
I am already getting it. What happens if:
I go into hospital or someone I claim for goes into hospital?
You must tell your social security office and your local council as soon as you go into or come out of hospital. You must also tell them if someone you get benefit for goes into hospital. If you do not expect to be in hospital for more than a year, Housing Benefit may continue.
I go to live abroad or visit?
Most benefits are affected if you are going abroad. Let us and your local council know as soon as you can that you are going abroad. You can usually do this by contacting your social security office. You can get more information about social security agreements with other countries through this site.
I am part of a service family living abroad or visiting?
Service families living abroad in Service Families Accommodation (SFA) can apply for the MOD Housing Benefit Scheme.
I start work but my sickness or disability means I have to stop again?
If you start work but have to stop within 52 weeks because of your sickness or disability, you may be able to go back onto Income Support at the same amount you got before you started working.
To be able to do this:- you must have been sick for at least 28 weeks and
- you must have started work or training within 7 days of getting Income Support and
- your other circumstances must still be the same.
You must let your social security office know you have started work or training within one month of the date you start.
You cannot get protection if your benefit stopped because of a medical test.
I start voluntary work?
You must tell your local council about any kind of payment you get, including payment for voluntary work. This includes things that are sometimes called payment in kind, which could be something like meal vouchers. They may be able to ignore some of these payments when working out your benefit.
I go into a residential care or nursing home?
If you go into residential care permanently you cannot normally get Housing Benefit.
If your stay is temporary you may still be able to get Housing Benefit. Check with your local council.
More information
For more information or leaflets, get in touch with your local council or your social security office.
Other help
Definitions
The European Economic Area (EEA) is made up of all European Union (EU) countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Repuclic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK), plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland is not a member of the EEA, but as a result of an agreement with the EU that came into force on 1 June 2002, the EU rules on social security also apply to Switzerland.
UK means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but not the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales.
Remember that this website is only a general guide to benefits and schemes, and is not a full and authoritative statement of the law. We have made every effort to ensure that the information on this website is correct at the date shown at the top of the page. However, changes in the law may make the website become gradually less accurate.