Southampton City Council

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When should I claim?

You must claim as soon as you are aware that you may require assistance with paying your rent and/or council tax. If you do not have all the proofs necessary to support your claim, do not delay in making your application. You may lose benefit if you delay.

Entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit usually commences the Monday following the date you make your application and, in some cases, the Monday following the date you apply for Income Support or Job Seeker’s Allowance.

If you apply for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit before your rental liability and/or Council Tax liability begins you will need to confirm that you are living in the property for which you are claiming by completing an Occupation Confirmation form after you have moved in.

If you make a late application for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit and ask for a backdate, we will not be able to pay you for that period unless you can show good cause. Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit cannot be backdated more than 6 months before the date of claim.

In some cases you may be asked to provide further proofs and information to support your request for a backdate.

Benefit Application Form.

Backdated Benefit FAQs

1. Claimants of working age - What date will my benefit start from?

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are paid from the Monday following receipt of an application form or the date that an application form was requested as long as it is provided within one month of the date of the request.

If you make a claim for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit over the telephone through Jobcentre Plus, the date of claim is the date that you contacted Jobcentre Plus.

If you receive Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (Income Based) or Jobseeker’s Allowance (Contributions Based), all benefits will have the same claim date.

2. What if I make a late claim?

If you have made a late claim we can backdate your benefit for up to 6 months before your claim was received, but you must have a good reason for your claim being late. Any request for a backdate must be made in writing and proofs may be asked for to support your request. Each case is looked at individually and your claim will be backdated if “good cause” is demonstrated.

3. Claimants of pensionable age - What date will my benefit start from?

If you or your partner have reached pensionable age or over and qualify for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit, your benefit will automatically be backdated for up to 3 months before the date that you made your claim provided that you have an entitlement for this period.

4. What if I make a late claim?

To enable us to backdate your benefit to 3 months before the date of claim you will need to provide proof of your income, savings and rent for this period.

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