About Housing Benefit

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This page gives information on housing benefit, including who qualifies for it and how to claim it. You can find out how we assess how much housing benefit you are entitled to, how we pay it to you and how to make sure you still receive the correct amount of benefit if your circumstances change.

Here are some answers to common questions:

• What is housing benefit?
• How can I make a claim for housing benefit/council tax benefit?
• What documents do you need to assess my application for housing benefit?
• Who cannot claim housing or council tax benefit?
• Should I continue to pay my rent and council tax whilst I await a decision on my application for housing benefit/council tax benefit?
• How do you work out my housing benefit?
• When are housing benefit and council tax benefit awarded from?
• How will you pay my benefit?
• What do I do if my circumstances change?

Tenants in privately rented accomodation may also be interested in finding out more about Local Housing Allowance and Local Housing Allowance rates.

What is housing benefit?

Housing benefit is a Government scheme to help those on low incomes pay their rent. All or part of your rent may be paid for you through housing benefit.

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How can I make a claim for housing benefit/council tax benefit?

You will need to complete an application form and provide us with the following information.

• evidence of your identity
• your national insurance number
• details of all income you are in receipt of
• proof of all capital and savings, if your capital is over £3,000

Please note that this information is also required for your partner if you have one and anyone else living within your household.

To see if you could qualify please try our online Benefit calculator (This is just a guide, not a definite assessment). Please allow some time to complete this assessment, although you can save your progress and return to your assessment at a later date.
Alternatively, you can use the link to find out the various ways to contact us for further information.

Benefit calculator

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What documents do you need to assess my application for housing benefit?

• proof of identity
• proof of residency
• proof of national insurance number
• proof of all capital, savings & investments
• proof of all earnings
• proof of all income
• proof of benefits, allowances or pensions
• proof of expenditure
• copy of your rental agreement

You have up to one calendar month after you apply to supply these documents. We need to see originals, not copies. We need to see the same for your partner if you have one, and for any other adults who live with you.

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Who cannot claim housing or council tax benefit?

You will not be entitled to housing or council tax benefit if any of the following apply.

• you are not the person liable to pay rent or council tax
• you have more than £16,000 in capital or savings
• you are not a UK citizen or you have not lived in the UK for the past 5 years
• if you are a full-time student, unless you are a full-time student who is also
  1. receiving income support
  2. a lone parent or couple who are responsible for a child or foster child
  3. disabled
  4. under 19 and following a further (not higher) course of education
  5. aged 60 or more

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Should I continue to pay my rent and council tax whilst I await a decision on my application for housing/council tax benefit?

It is very important that you continue to pay your rent and council tax while we process your applications. You may receive little or no benefit and if you do not pay you will pay in to arrears.

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How do you work out my housing benefit?

If you get Guarantee Credit, Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance, we will pay you full benefit. This is the highest amount of housing benefit you can get. But this does not always mean we will pay your rent in full. For example, if you rent your home from a private landlord, the housing benefit we give you can often be less than the rent you are charged. If it is, you will have to pay the difference from your own income. We also take any non-dependant deductions off your benefit.

If you do not get Guarantee Credit, Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance, we have to work out how much benefit we can pay. We do this by comparing the amount the Government says you need to live on each week (your 'applicable amount') with your income. If your income is less than your applicable amount, you will get full benefit. If your income is more than your applicable amount, we have to take some of the difference off your benefit.

We also take the following factors into account.

• your household income
• savings held by you and your partner
• the personal circumstances of you and any other residents
• how much rent you pay

The Government says that if your housing benefit is less than 50 pence a week, we cannot pay you anything.

Find out more about how we work out your housing benefit by clicking here.

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When are housing benefit and council tax benefit awarded from?

Housing and council tax benefit will normally be awarded from the Monday following the day you made your claim.

For details on how to get further information and advice to go the Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit - contact us.

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How will you pay my benefit?

We normally pay housing benefit from the Monday after we receive you claim. This is why it's important that you claim as soon as you think you might be entitled to benefit.

If you are a council tenant you housing benefit is paid directly to your rent account each week. This reduces the amount of rent you have to pay.

If you are a housing association tenant, we normally send your benefit to your landlord, but we can pay it directly to you.

If you pay rent to a private landlord your benefit may be paid direct to you, or to your landlord if you agree, by cheque. Payment is made four weekly in arrears.

In certain circumstances, for instance if you are more than eight weeks in arrears with your rent, the council will pay your housing benefit direct to your landlord unless it would not be in your interest to do so.

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What do I do if my circumstances change?

A change in circumstances is when you have one of the following changes within your household.

• you change address (moving in/out of a property, within or out with the Renfrewshire area whilst claiming council tax/housing benefit)
• you or your partner if you have one or anyone else in your household has a change in income (increase/decrease)
• you or your partner if you have one has in increase/decrease to your capital or savings
• if someone moves in/out of your household while you are claiming council tax/housing benefit
• if you or your partner go into hospital for more than 4 weeks or long term care in a nursing home
• your rent has increased/decreased

You must write and tell us at once or within one month of your change - a phone call is not enough.

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