Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit?
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are national awards paid by the local Council. They provide financial help for those on low incomes who have to rent their homes and/or who are also liable to pay Council Tax. You do not have to be in receipt of another State Benefit to apply for these awards.
Housing Benefit can cover both local Council rents and privately rented accommodation (though Housing Benefit payments do not meet all housing costs and you would be expected to pay for items such as fuel, water rates, or meals, if these types of services are included in your rent).
There are two types of Council Tax Benefit - ‘main scheme’ and ‘Second Adult Rebate’. Council Tax Benefit ‘main scheme’ is the most common Benefit and is dependant on your circumstances. ‘Second Adult Rebate’ ignores your personal situation completely and looks at the circumstances of the ‘second adult’. Second adults are usually adult children, other relatives, or friends that live in the house rent free.
Who can apply?
Generally, anyone with a low income treated as having a genuine legal responsibility for rent and/or anyone charged Council Tax on a property that they live in. If you are in any doubt that you may be able to claim, claim anyway. If the rules do not allow you to apply for either award, we will write to you and explain why.
If you have savings of £16,000 or more (and are not in receipt of the ‘guaranteed’ element of ‘Pension Credit’) you would not qualify for either Housing or Council Tax Benefit. The amount of your savings would not affect an award of ‘Second Adult Rebate’.
How can I claim?
Application forms are available from the Benefits Office at Worcester City Council, Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 31, PERSHORE, WR10 9DB or from the Customer Service Centre in Orchard House, Farrier Street, alternatively you can download a form using the link below. Recognised applications are also available from the Department of Work and Pensions for all those that claim Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance.
If you have trouble getting out of the house, and you have no-one else that can help, we can arrange for one of our Visiting Officers to call round to complete the form with you. If you require this service contact the Visiting Team on one of the numbers below to arrange an appointment
01905 722393 or
01905 722392
Do not delay sending in your application. The date that you send in your claim will help establish the date your Benefit will start from. Further information can be sent in up to 1 month after you have handed in your claim.
How is my claim calculated?
Basically, a claim is worked out by looking at the weekly amount of income and savings that you have (and the income and savings of your partner, if you have one), and comparing that total with your personal ‘applicable amount’ (the figure the government uses to account for the basic needs of a family in your situation). The difference between these two figures acts as a starting point for the rest of the calculation (the bigger this amount is, the less the Benefit award).
The amount of Housing Benefit received would also be dependant on the rent that you are charged (if you rent from a private landlord, the independent Rent Officer Service may have to lower the rent figure that we use to work out your award to the local average rent for the size of your home).
As Housing Benefit is paid for a benefit week (Monday through to Sunday), you should note that the rent that you are charged will be changed to a weekly figure before the award is worked out.
Council Tax Benefit is worked out after all the set discounts have been used to reduce your basic Council Tax bill (these discounts are standard reductions and should not be confused with Council Tax Benefit or Second Adult Rebate. Standard discounts automatically reduce your Council Tax Bill if you meet certain conditions. Further information on these reductions can be found on the Council Tax web page).
Benefit awards may also be reduced by set amounts taken for ‘non-dependants’ that live in the property (those over the age of 16 with no recognized legal responsibility to pay rent for living at the address, such as an adult son or a daughter, elderly relatives, or a friend). The amount of the deduction is determined by the age and income of the non-dependant.
What information will I have to provide?
You will be required to provide proof of all recent income and savings for all the members of your family. You must provide evidence of all income even if that income is another State Benefit.
You will also need to provide evidence of identity for both you and your partner, to prove that you are who you claim to be and that you are actually living at the address on your application form.
If you are renting from a private landlord you must provide evidence that you are being charged rent and that the arrangement is legally binding and has not been created specifically to obtain Housing Benefit.
If you have a ‘non dependant’, you are required to provide proof of their income as well.
All documents you provide must be original. We cannot accept photocopies. For this reason you are not advised to send original documents through the post. We would suggest that you personally take them to our offices in Orchard House. They will then verify that the documents are genuine and copy them for your file.
I now receive Pension Credit - am I eligible for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit?
Introduced in October 2003, Pension Credit is a new award for those aged 60 or over on a low income. It guarantees a minimum income for everyone over this age. The Pensions Service is responsible for paying this Benefit and they have guaranteed that they will backdate entitlement to this award for 12 months.
Housing and Council Tax Benefits are ‘means tested’, so income received from this award would affect the amount of Benefit that is paid.
It is advisable that, if you qualify for Pension Credit, you should forward your income and capital details with your Housing/ Council Tax Benefit claim, as the Pensions Service may not have been able to provide us with all the figures that we should use in our calculations.
You should also note that if you have savings of £16,000 or more you would not qualify for either Housing or Council Tax Benefit (the only exception to this rule would be if you were to receive the ‘guaranteed’ element of Pension Credit. If you receive this award it is possible to have more than £16,000 and still qualify for Housing and Council Tax Benefit).
When will my Benefit start?
Benefit awards usually start from the Monday following the date we receive a recognised application form. Sometimes the entitlement can run from an earlier date if you can demonstrate that you had a good reason for failing to submit the form (for example, you were in hospital at the time). This is called backdating. If agreed, the Council can only backdate a claim a maximum of
- 3 months if you are of pensionable age* or
- 6 months if you are of working age
* if you are a male between 60 and 64 years of age or have a partner who is of working age, different rules may apply to you. Please contact us for further advice.
What can I do if I don’t agree with a Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit decision?
You can write in and ask us to look at your application again. You must identify clearly the decision in question and give full reasons why you disagree with it. A senior officer will then examine your case to ensure it has been dealt with correctly. This is called a review.
Alternatively you can appeal. This means that, if we cannot change the decision in your favour, an independent tribunal, arranged by the Appeals Service (link?), would have to consider the dispute. You would then have an opportunity to present your case before a legally qualified panel.
If you decide to appeal instead of asking the section to look at the application again, you would still have to identify the decision that you disagree with and give full reasons why you think it is incorrect.
Regardless of the route that you take, you must contact the Benefits Section within one calendar month of being notified of the original decision. If you are in receipt of Pension Credit, the nature of the dispute will determine whether the Council is able to deal with the matter or if the appeal should be referred on to the Pensions Service.
What can I do if I suspect someone is committing Benefit Fraud?
The Council has a duty to protect public funds. Some people try to obtain money that they are not entitled to and so take funds away from those with a genuine need.
If you suspect someone is committing Benefit Fraud you can contact the Council on (01905) 722212. You do not have to give your name when you call. The information you provide would be treated in the strictest confidence. You can also report fraud anonymously with our online form.
Alternatively, you can write to Benefit Investigations Team, Worcester City Council, Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 31, PERSHORE, WR10 9DB. You can also e-mail the investigations team (investigations@swrbss.org) or fax them on 01905 722582.
All allegations made will be investigated thoroughly. (http://www.dwp.gov.uk/)
How can I get in touch?
E-mail: benefits@swrbss.org
If you wish to speak to someone regarding your benefit claim please call 01905 822744.
If you have a question regarding an invoice you have received for overpaid Housing Benefit you should call 01905 822744
If you have any further comments, suggestions or complaints please feel free to write to us at Worcester City Council, Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 31, PERSHORE, WR10 9DB , or you can e-mail us ( benefits@swrbss.org) or, alternatively, you can fax us on 01386 565580.
You should note that Council Tax enquiries should be directed to the Council Tax department and NOT the Benefits Section. See the contact details page.
View a map of where our Customer Service Centre is located
