Can I Claim Housing/Council Tax Benefit if I Work?

Yes, you can claim if you work and receive a low income.

We will need to see proof of your earnings.

If you are paid weekly – your last 5 weeks payslips
If you are paid monthly – your last 2 months payslips
If you have recently started work and have not yet been paid then ask your employer to provide an estimate of your gross earnings, tax and National Insurance deductions and supply this information with your application.

We will use this information to assess your claim until your receive your actual payslips.

Can I Claim Housing/Council Tax Benefit if I am Self Employed?

Yes, if you are self-employed and receive a low income form your business. You will need to supply us with your most recent audited accounts. If your accounts are not available we will supply you with a pro forma to complete which shows the incomings and outgoings of your business.

Does the Amount of Capital I Have Affect my Claim?

This depends on the amount of capital you and your partner have.

• If you and your partner have joint capital of more than £16,000 you will not normally be able to get Housing/Council Tax benefit
• If you or your partner are aged 60 or over you can have up to £6000 capital before it affects your benefit entitlement.
• Income of £1 for every £250 between £6000 and £16,000 is taken into account when we work out your entitlement to benefit
• If you and your partner are aged less than 60 you can have up to £3000 capital before it affects your benefit entitlement
• Income of £1 for every £250 between £3000 and £16,000is taken into account when we work out your entitlement to benefit
• Capital includes cash, current accounts, other bank/building society/post office accounts, unit trusts, ISA’s, TESSA’s, National Savings Certificates, shares, premium bonds and property (other than the home you live in) or land you own.

What Happens If I Have Somone Aged 18 (Excluding A Partner) Living with me?

Your benefit may me reduced. The amount of reduction will depend on their income and circumstances. You will be required to supply this information with your application.

I am a private tenant. Will my Housing Benefit be based on the rent I am charged by my landlord?

If you rent your property from a Housing Association we will normally base your benefit entitlement on the rent that you are charged.  The only exception to this is where your rent includes services that are not covered by Housing Benefit, for example water rates, gas and electricity charges.

If you live in privately rented accommodation the rent used to calculate your Housing Benefit will be the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate that applies to you.

Your LHA rate will depend on where you live and the number of bedrooms you and your family need.  To work out your LHA rate click here:

 https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk

Single Claimants Under 25 Years of Age:

If you are single, under 25 years of age and have no children, your LHA rate will be restricted to a shared accommodation rate.

Single Claimant’s Over 25 Years Of Age And Couples With No Children:

If you are single, or a couple aged over 25 and have no children, your Housing Benefit will normally be based on a one-bedroom LHA rate.  However if you are living in ‘room only’ accommodation your LHA rate will be restricted to the shared accommodation rate.

By ‘room only’ we mean that you have sole use of just one room and you share other rooms such as kitchen, toilet and bathroom, with other people who are not part of your household.

What if the rent I am charged by my landlord is less than the LHA rate that applies to me?

If your rent is no more than £15 less than the LHA rate that applies to you, your Housing Benefit will be based on the LHA rate.

If your rent is more than £15 less than the LHA rate that applies to you,  your Housing Benefit will be based on your contractual rent (i.e., the amount you are charged) plus £15.

What if the rent I am charged by my landlord is more than the LHA rate that applies to me?

If your rent is more than the LHA rate that applies to you, your Housing Benefit will be based on the LHA rate.

I am thinking of moving to privately rented accommodation. Can I check how much Housing Benefit I would be entitled to before I take on the tenancy?

Yes.  Your Housing Benefit will be based on a Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate.  The rate you are entitled to depends on: -

• Where you live in Sandwell;  and 
• How many bedrooms you and your family need.

To calculate how many bedrooms you need click here 
https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk

To find out which area your post code fits into and to check the LHA rate that applies to you click here https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk

It’s important to remember that the LHA rate may not be the amount of Housing Benefit you receive.  Housing Benefit is a means tested benefit and the amount of income you and your family have, will affect your level of entitlement.  The LHA rate is simply the rent we will use to work out your entitlement.

What Happens When you Receive my Claim?

When we receive your claim we will check the application to ensure that is completed correctly, signed and proof all information required has been supplied.

If we have all the information required then we will process your claim as quickly as possible and notify you of your entitlement.

If we need you to provide more information, we will write to you and this information will need to be supplied with 28 days from the date of the letter. It is important that all requests for information are supplied as soon as possible as failure to do so within 28 days will normally result in your claim being refused.

I Have Started Work, What do I Need to do?

You should notify us immediately of the date you started work. If you are receiving Income Support or income based Job Seekers Allowance you need to notify the Benefits Service and the department of Works and Pensions that you have started work.

Extended Payments

If you have been unemployed for 26 weeks or more and you were receiving Income Support, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, Long Term Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disability Allowance immediately before you started work you may be entitled to an Extended Payment.

This means that for the first 4 weeks after you start work you will continue to receive the full amount of Housing Benefit that was in payment prior to you starting work.

If you wish to claim an Extended Payment you need to advise the Job Centre, Social Security or Council within 8 days of your Income Support, Income based Job Seekers Allowance, Long Tern Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disability Allowance ceasing. It is important to do this as claims for Extended Payments cannot be backdated.

You may also be able to receive an Extended Payment for your Council Tax Benefit.

You may still qualify for Housing/Council Tax benefit even if you are working. You will need to complete a new application form in order for your claim to assessed providing all details of your new income.

How Can I Report Suspected Benefit Fraud?

If you suspect that a person is fraudulently claiming Housing/Council Tax, there are means in which you can report this.

I am in receipt of Housing/Council Tax Benefit. Can I get any Extra Help in paying my Rent or Council Tax?

If you are getting Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit it may mean you still have to pay something towards your rent or Council Tax.

You may be able to get extra help towards these payments by applying for a Discretionary Housing Payment.

You will need to provide us with full details of why you feel you should get extra help, for example details of any medical conditions and family circumstances you feel should be taken into account.

We may need to ask you to provide additional information and/or evidence to support your application.

If you think that you may qualify for extra help, you will need to put your reasons in writing to us and we will consider your case. Please click on the link below to print the form that you required to print.

• Discretionary Housing Payment Private Tenants
• Discretionary Housing Payment Council Tenants Owner Occupiers