How do I claim?

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.

Generally we are unable to discuss details of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claims with third parties. If your Housing Benefit entitlement is paid to your landlord on your behalf, the only information that can be disclosed are details of the payments e.g. the amounts to be paid, the payment frequency and the payment method.

However, if you are happy that information as regards your claim can be shared with a third party, you will need to provide your signed permission to enable Benefits Services to do this stating the name(s) of the person(s) and/or organisation(s) with whom this information can be shared.

If you are unable to manage your affairs, Benefit Services can appoint someone to act for you. The appointee is then responsible for everything to do with your claim. This includes signing all forms and reporting changes of circumstances. Appointees have specific duties and may be liable, for example, for the repayment of any overpayments. An appointee can be an individual or an organisation, e.g. a local authority or a firm of solicitors.

The prospective appointee must be aged at least 18 and must apply in writing to Benefits Services using the appropriate form. The claimant will also need to complete a form. These forms are available at Gateway and local housing offices or can be requested from the call centre. A person who has been appointed by the Department for Work and Pensions will usually be accepted as an appointee by Benefit Services without needing to apply separately.

An appointee has the same rights and responsibilities as the claimant, and in effect acts as though they are that person in relation to their Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit claim. Duties include: -

• completing claim forms

• receiving or collecting payments - these will be in the name of the appointee

• dealing with any correspondence about Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit

• reporting any changes in the claimant's circumstances

• repaying any overpayments of benefit
  

Most banks now provide basic bank accounts that give access to limited banking facilities. Generally speaking these accounts allow you to receive your income and withdraw cash from cash machines but do not allow you to have an overdraft facility, cheque book, debit card or credit card. Some do allow the issue of Solo or Visa Electron cards that can be used to buy goods in shops. Most basic bank accounts are credit scored and this means that you may be eligible to upgrade your account to a current account at a future date.

We pay most of our private tenants’ Housing Benefit via BACS. To receive such payments you must have a bank account. The advantages of receiving Housing Benefit via BACS are:

• you don’t need to wait for a cheque to clear;

• there are no postal delays;

• there is no risk of theft;

• Housing Benefit can still be withdrawn from various places including the Post Office;

• you avoid costly charges made by cheque encashment companies, who charge between 5 and 10% of the value of a cheque;

• you can take advantage of discounts from companies by having bills paid by direct debit.

If you are being paid Housing Benefit through the Local Housing Allowance scheme, your entitlement will be paid via BACS, so you must have a bank account. If you do not have a bank account you may be able to open a basic bank account.

There are several banks that offer basic bank accounts. These are:

Abbey
Alliance & Leicester
Barclays
Cooperative bank
Halifax
HSBC
Lloyds TSB
Nationwide
NatWest
Royal Bank of Scotland