Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are national welfare benefits, which help people on low income.
Housing Benefit is paid to people with a low income who have a liability to pay rent.
Council Tax Benefit is paid to people with a low income who have a liability to pay Council Tax.
There are two types of Council Tax Benefit
Both Housing and Council Tax Benefit are means tested therefore all income and capital held by yourself and partner are taken into account when working out how much benefit you are entitled to.
Local councils run Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit schemes using government rules.
Can I claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit?
You can claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for you and your family. Your family includes you, your partner and your dependant children. A partner is someone you are married to or someone who you live with as if you are married.
You can claim if:
You might be on a low income if you and your partner get:
There is no fixed upper capital limit for people over 60 who receive the Guarantee element of Pension Credit, but there is an upper capital limit of £16000.00 for those over 65 who receive the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit only.
Special Rules
Special rules apply to the following people who claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
If you fall into one of these categories, you should contact us for further information.
Who Cannot Get Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit?
The following people cannot get Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
If you are not sure whether you can make a claim, you should contact us for further information.
How do I claim Housing Benefit and council Tax Benefit?
If you claim Income Support or Income Based Jobseekers Allowance, The Jobcentre Plus Office will complete a Local Authority (LA) Input Doc and send to us directly, although we do advise you contact us to check one has been received.
If you are on a low income, you can complete one of our claim forms and provide proof of your income and capital so we can assess your claim. The inside back page of the application clearly states what information is needed to be able to assess your application. You can obtain a form by contacting us or you can download the form by clicking here: Housing and Council Tax Benefit Claim Form
What if I need help completing the application form?
If you need help completing any Local Authority Benefit forms you can call into our counter, which is on the first floor of Civic Way in Ellesmere Port or at the Town Hall in Neston. Alternatively if you require help completing any benefit forms you can contact our Independent Benefit Advisor, Karen Lindford.
Phone Karen on 0151 356 6607 or e-mail karen.lindford@epnbc.gov.uk
Home visits can be arranged if required. Advice is also available from any welfare benefits advice centre for example Ellesmere Port & Neston Citizens Advice Bureau.
When should I claim?
You should claim as soon as possible because you may lose benefit if you delay. If you apply late and ask us to pay for a backdated period, we might not be able to pay for that period as strict rules tell us when we can and cannot pay for backdated periods.
What proof do I need to give you?
Everybody who makes an application for Housing or Council Tax Benefit needs to provide two forms of identification. This must include proof of national insurance number and proof of signature. If you receive benefit paid by The Jobcentre or Department for Work and Pensions we need to see proof of this benefit. We will accept your award notification letter.
If you are on a low income we will need to see proof of that income. If you are working we require 2 monthly, 3 fortnightly or 5 weekly wage slips. These should be consecutive where possible and be the most up to date ones received. If you do not have any wage slips for example if your employment is new and you have not been paid yet, we will accept your contract of employment until your wage slips are received. We will also accept a certificate of earnings which we can send you and your employer must complete.
If you are self-employed we require your self-employed accounts.
We will also need to see proof of the following income:
We really need to know about all the income you get. If you cannot provide proof of any of the income you receive please contact us and do not delay and completing and returning your application form if you cannot provide any proofs.
Capital
We cannot pay Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit if your savings and capital are in excess of £16000.00 unless you are over 60 years old and receive Guarantee Credit from The Pension Service. By capital we mean any savings or investments you have with a bank or building society. The value of any stocks, shares or other property you own.
We need to see proof of the following capital:
Two consecutive months statements for all bank accounts and building society accounts you or your partner (if you have one). These should be the most recent.
Stocks and share certificates.
Valuation certificate of any property owned including property abroad.
Post Office Statements from card accounts.
Statements for any ISA's or Pep's you have.
If you have under £6000.00 we will not include any capital in your weekly income figure. If you have between £6000.00 and £16000.00 capital the following is included in your weekly income figure:
If you or your partner are under 60 years old - £1.00 is added to your weekly income figure for every £250.00 or part of £250.00 over £6000.00. This is called tariff income.
If you or your partner are over 60 years old - £1.00 is added to your weekly income figure for every £500.00 or part of £500.00 over £6000.00. This is called tariff income.
How much benefit will I get?
That depends on your income and capital and whether you have other people living in your house.
If you receive Income Support or Income-based Jobseekers Allowance you will usually get full Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. If you have other people in your household over the age of 18 this may decrease dependant above their income.
If you are a private tenant we are restricted on the amount of Housing Benefit we can pay by The Rent Service. They consider whether the rent your landlord charges in reasonable or too high for the type of property you live in and therefore can set the maximum benefit rate payable lower than your actual rent amount.
There are also rules limiting the amount of Housing Benefit payable to single people under the age of 25 and have no children living with them.
How is my benefit worked out?
If you get Income Support or Income-based Jobseekers Allowance:
For Housing Benefit:
You will receive full benefit minus any amounts deducted for other household members over the age of 18.
For Council Tax Benefit:
You will receive full benefit minus any amount deducted for other household members over the age of 18.
For Private Tenants we can only consider full benefit up to what The Rent Officers states is a fair rent for your property therefore you would have to make up the difference between that amount and your actual rent amount the landlord charges. We may also make deductions for certain service charges.
For all other cases:
We work out your benefit by comparing the money you get each week with your 'applicable amount'. Your applicable amount is the minimum amount of money The Government states you and your family need to live on each week. This amount can be higher for some people, for example, if you are disabled.
When we have worked out what money you have coming in each week, if it is less than your applicable amount, then you would usually receive full benefit and we would advise you to contact the local Jobcentre Plus Office to obtain information about help they may be able to offer you. If you have other household members over the age of 18, there may be a deduction dependant upon their income and if you are a private tenant we can only pay what The Rent Officer decides is a fair rent for your property.
If your income is over the applicable amount, we decrease your benefit award on a sliding scale. If the amount of income you receive over the applicable amount is higher than your weekly rent amount you will not be entitled to any help.
What money do you count when you work out my benefit?
We count any money you have coming in except:
BUT we still need to know that you receive these benefits as it can increase your applicable amount.
When we work out your weekly income we disregard the following:
This list is not exhaustive and further disregards may be available dependent of your circumstances.
What happens if there are other people living with me?
If you have friends, relatives or anyone over the age of 18 living in your home, you may receive less benefit. These people are called non-dependants. We may take an amount out of your benefit for each non-dependant who lives in your home.
Non-dependants do not include:
We will not take any money out your benefit for non-dependants if:
When will my benefit start?
If you qualify for benefit, we will usually start it from the Monday after your application form was requested as long as the form had been annotated and it was returned within 1 month of that date. If the application form were received more than 1 month after it was issued we would award benefit from the Monday after the application form was received.
If you think your benefit should start from an earlier date, you will need to request backdating. You must complete the back page of the application form with the date you wish your benefit to start from and if we can we will consider your benefit claim from the Monday after this date. You must provide reasons for your delay in making your application for benefit and provide any evidence you have to back up these reasons. The maximum we can go back is 52 weeks from the date your application form was received.
How will you pay me?
Council Tax Benefit
If you qualify for Council Tax Benefit, we will pay your benefit direct to your Council Tax account. You will get a bill, which shows the amount you have to pay after your benefit has been awarded if any.
Housing Benefit
If you are a council tenant who qualifies for benefit, we will pay your benefit direct to your rent account on a weekly basis. If you rent your home from a Housing Association we can pay your benefit direct to yourself on a fortnightly basis or to your landlord on a four weekly basis. If you are a private tenant renting from a private landlord we usually pay your benefit direct to you on a fortnightly basis. In some circumstances we can pay your benefit direct to your landlord on a four weekly basis. Please contact us for further information if you would prefer your benefit paid direct to your landlord.
What should I do if anything changes while I am getting benefit?
You should tell us straight away if your circumstances change. Dependant upon your change, it may affect the amount of benefit you receive. If you do not tell us of a change and this then causes an overpayment of your benefit, you will have to repay it.
Visit the Change in Circumstances section for more information.
What happens if you give me too much money?
Visit the Overpayments section for more information.
What can I do if I do not agree with your decision?
If you do not agree with our decision, you can request a re-consideration of that decision and a member of staff will look at it again. Our letters tell you what your rights are. Visit What to do if you disagree with a Housing or Council Tax Benefit decision for more detailed information.
Where can I get help?
The council offers free, independent, confidential advice on the following benefits:
If you need to find out whether you are eligible for any of these benefits or if you need help completing a benefit application form, please get in touch with our Independent Benefits Advisor, Karen Lindford.
Phone Karen on 0151-356-6607 or e-mail karen.lindford@epnbc.gov.uk
Home visits can also be arranged if required.
Housing and Council Tax Benefit advice can also be received at our Benefits Counter on the first floor of 4 Civic Way, Ellesmere Port and Neston Town Hall, Neston. Advice is also available from Ellesmere Port & Neston's Citizens Advice Bureau.
