Claiming Benefits and Help with Housing Costs
What documents you need to provide
You are required to provide documentary proof for yourself and your partner if you have one, of your National Insurance number, identity, rent, income and capital as well as for members of your household. If you do not provide proof your claim cannot be processed.
Primary documents for proof of identity:
- Passport (it must be current and valid)
- Home Office Standard Acknowledgement Letter (SAL 1 or 2)
- Driving License
- Birth, marriage, death certificates
- Adoption certificate
- Divorce or annulment papers
- National ID card.
- NINO card with National Insurance Number
- National Insurance contributions form
- Medical card with NHS number
- Armed forces employment certificate
- Change of name document
- State benefit notification letter
- Sub-contractors certificate.
- P45
- E111
Secondary documents for proof of identity
- Pay slip
- Tenancy agreement, rent book or rent card
- Utility bills such as gas, electricity and water
- Fixed telephone bills
- Rail-card, travel-card and bus-pass
- Season ticket
- Bank or Building Society debit or credit cards
- Store charge card
- Bank or building society statement / passbook
- Shares certificates
- Life insurance policy
- Trade Union membership card
As you will see from the list above specific information must be provided to establish your identity. At least two items of evidence must be provided; with at least one of those being from the primary evidence list and one of them should include confirmation of your National Insurance Number.
Evidence of residency
If you pay rent we need proof of your tenancy. One or more of the following is acceptable as proof of your tenancy:
- Your tenancy agreement, letter from your landlord, rent book, letter from your landlord’s agent, proof of rent form
All evidence provided must contain all of the following information:
- The name and address of your landlord.
- The name and address of the managing agent (if you have one).
- The date your agreement started.
- The amount of rent payable.
- What services, if any, are included in your rent.
- The payment period e.g. monthly, weekly or calendar monthly.
Earnings
If you or your partner have earnings we must see: the last five weekly wage slips, the last three fortnightly wage slips, OR the last two monthly wage slips. The evidence must include:
- The name and address of the employer(s).
- The number of hours worked and over what period.
- Gross income for the pay period and the year to date.
- Income Tax deductions in the pay period and the year to date.
- National Insurance contributions.
- Occupational or personal pension contributions.
- The method of payment - e.g. by cash, into a bank or building society account or by cheque.
If you do not have wage slips you can ask your employer to complete a certificate of earnings. If you have just started work a letter from your employer stating the amount of your gross and net pay will be enough until you get the required wage slips. When you get them you must send them in.
Benefits
You must provide evidence of all the benefits you get. This should be the letter of entitlement that is sent to you. If you have your benefit paid into a bank account we can use the bank statement as well.
Capital, savings and bank accounts
Evidence of all capital must be provided.
These include all bank or building society accounts you have as well as other investments such as shares.
Original bank and building society statements that show debit and credit entries for a two-month period, prior to the application being made, must be provided (a slip showing the outstanding balance is not acceptable).
Original documents showing proof of ownership of other investments, e.g. share certificates, dividend statements, Bonds, Unit Trust stocks and shares, must also be provided.
If you own a property, not including the one in which you live, you will need to provide information about the value of the property and details of outstanding mortgages or loans secured on it.
Other income
Evidence of all income must be provided.
People who live with you
Unless you are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance care component, Attendance Allowance or are registered Blind, deductions will be made from your entitlement if you have other adults including members of your family living with you.
If they have a high income and you would expect to have the maximum deduction made you do not need to provide their income details - just indicate this on the form.
However, if you wish for a lower rate of deduction to be made you will need to provide the gross income details for all non-dependants in your household. Original documents showing their income are required.
This not only includes the wages they receive but also other income such as Working Tax Credit, and interest on any savings.
The sections above explain what evidence / information must be provided.
Please note that only original documents MUST be provided as proof – photocopies are not acceptable.
Your documents will be photocopied free of charge in the Civic Offices or at any of our local contact points.
Non Dependants
A non-dependant is a person aged 18 or over who lives in your home or uses your home as their main residence on a non-commercial basis. They do not have to be a family member.
Will my benefit be affected?
If you have a non-dependant living in your home your benefit may be reduced.
What do I need to do?
You must tell us if someone moves into or out of your home as this may affect your benefit.
If you have a non-dependant who has an increase or decrease in their earnings or income you must let us know. It may increase or decrease the deduction we have to make. Even if your non-dependant is receiving any state benefits we will need to know.
How is the deduction calculated?
The government sets a weekly deduction for non-dependants, depending on their gross income. The more income they have the greater the deduction from your benefit.
Are there any cases where no deduction is made?
Yes, they are:
- If you or your partner are receiving Attendance Allowance.
- If you or your partner are receiving the care component of the Disability Living Allowance.
- If you or your partner are registered blind.
- If your non dependant is a full-time student or receives a work based training allowance.
- If your non-dependant is in hospital for 52 weeks or more.
- If your non-dependant is in prison or normally lives elsewhere.
-If your non-dependant is receiving any type of Pension Credit.
Do I need to provide any information?
We shall need to see proof of your non dependant’s income such as:
- Wage slips
- A completed employer’s certificate of earnings
- Award letter from the Department for Works and Pensions
- Student award letter
- Accounts if your non dependant is self-employed
Students
For Housing Benefit, Local Housing Allowance and Council Tax Benefit purposes a student is defined as any person who is attending or undertaking a course of study at an educational establishment. This includes:
- Study at any level, whether full or part time.
- Students with or without loans or grants.
- Both state-funded and private establishments.
- Both term time and during holidays.
Which students may be able to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit?
- All students who are currently receiving income support or income-based Jobseekers allowance
- All part-time students
- Students under 19 not in higher education *
- Students aged 60 or over, or whose partner is over 60
- Students (couples or lone parents) who are responsible for a child or young person
- Students who are responsible for a foster child
- Students who qualify for a disability premium because they:
- Are registered or certified blind
- Ceased to be registered or certified blind within the previous 28 weeks
- Receive Disability Living Allowance
- Student who are disqualified from incapacity benefit
- Students who have been incapable of work for 28 weeks or more
- Students whose grant assessment includes a disabled student’s allowance for deafness, even if they get a grant for fees only
- Certain students who were absent due to illness or because they were providing care for another person
In the case of a couple, eligibility will depend on whether or not both parties are students. If both are students they will not be eligible for benefit unless either or both of them fall into one or more of the above categories. In this case the eligible student should make the claim for benefit. If only one of the couple is a student, then generally the non-student should make the claim for benefit.
When a claim is made the assessment will take into account the income, capital and personal circumstances of both parties.
Am I a full-time student?
You are considered to be a full-time student if you attend any of the following:
- A degree course in England or Wales.
- A sandwich course.
- A further education college in England, providing that the course involves more than 16 hours per week of ‘guided learning’ as set out in the ‘learning agreement’ obtainable from the college concerned.
- If the course is modular it could be full-time, part-time or mixed attendance. In these cases students would count as full-time only during the parts of the course for which they are registered as full-time.
Can I claim if I live in hall of residence?
Full-time students who are eligible for Housing Benefit can claim the benefit even if they live in accommodation provided by their educational establishment.
* Higher education means first degree, post-graduate and higher degree courses, course for the further training of teachers, youth and community workers, courses for the Diploma of Higher Education, the BTEC/SVEC Higher National Diploma or Higher National Certificate, the Diploma in Management Studies, the Certificate in Education or any other course at a level higher than GCE A level or Ordinary National Certificate.
Starting Work and Coming off Benefits
Extended payments are designed to help long-term unemployed people who are returning to work by giving them an ‘extended payment’ of up to four extra weeks Housing Benefit, Local Housing Allowance or Council Tax Benefit.
You will be entitled to an extended payment if:
- You or your partner starts employment or self-employment or increase your hours or earnings
AND
- This is expected to last for at least five weeks
AND
- You or your partner have been entitled to Jobseekers Allowance or Income Support continuously for at least 26 weeks (or any combination of those two benefits for that period)
OR
- You or your partner has been entitled to Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance continuously for at least 26 weeks (or any combination of those two benefits for that period), but neither of you are receiving Pension Credit
AND
- Entitlement to any of these benefits ceases as a result of starting work or increasing hours of work
AND
- You or your partner remain liable for rent and / or Council Tax at the same or a new address
You must tell us within four weeks of starting work or increasing your hours if you think you are entitled to an extended payment otherwise you will not qualify. You can let us know by telephone or in person if you wish, but it is advisable to follow this up with written confirmation.
If you are successful we will amend your benefit claim to continue for up to four weeks from the Monday after your Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance stopped.
You will be paid at the rate you are already receiving and your claim will be cancelled after the extended payment period.
If you wish to continue claiming Housing Benefit. Local Housing Allowance or Council Tax Benefit after the extended payment period you will need to complete a new in-work claim and you will be assessed on your new income details.
Backdating Benefits
What is backdating?
Backdated benefit is Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit paid for a period of time before we got your claim form.
How do we decide whether to backdate or not?
You have to show that you had a good cause or reason for not claiming Housing Benefit, Local Housing Allowance or Council Tax Benefit at the time. The good cause for not claiming at the time must have lasted for the whole time you ask us to backdate your claim.
What is good cause?
There could be one or more reasons why you were unable to claim. There is a list of questions further down this page that may help you. Here are some examples of common causes for claiming late:
You have been seriously ill or in hospital
You have been out of the country for a long time and did not know you could claim
You have problems with English and no one to help you claim
You were given wrong advice at the Jobcentre Plus
Reasons like these could help you get backdated benefit, BUT we have to look at each claim on its own merit and take everything into consideration.
How will I know if my claim is backdated?
We will write to you when we have decided whether or not to backdate your claim. If we do backdate your claim, the letter will tell you the date we are backdating to, how much benefit you will get, and how it will be paid. If we do not backdate your claim, the letter will tell you why not and what you can do if you are not happy with our decision.
How do I request backdated benefit?
The request must be in writing and must include as much detail as possible. You should provide any evidence you may have to support your request. If we do not have sufficient information to make a decision we may ask you to come into the office to see one of our officers.
You can telephone the Benefits office on (01656) 643396 to request a backdate or to make an appointment to see one of our officers.
- Last Updated: 25/06/2010
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