News
Local Housing Allowance introduced 7
April 2008
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
South Worcestershire Revenues and Benefits Shared Services, PO
Box 11, PERSHORE, WR10 1PU or from one of
our Customer Service Centres in Malvern, Tenbury or Upton 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.
Housing and Council Tax Benefit Claim
Form.
Self Employed Earnings Form.
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.
Employers Certificate of Earnings
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.
Proof of Rent form
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 one of our Contact
Centres. 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 an award for
those reaching the qualifying age on a low income. It guarantees a
minimum income for everyone over this age. The Pension Service may
be able to backdate Pension Credit up to a maximum of 3 months
prior to the date you make your claim with them.
Housing and Council Tax Benefits are ‘means tested’, so income
received from this award would affect the amount of Benefit that is
paid.
We will use the figures given to us by The Pension Service in
relation to your income and savings, however there may be occasions
when we ask you to provide information directly to us.
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, 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 (01386) 565280. You do not have to give your
name when you call. The information you provide would be treated in
the strictest confidence.
Alternatively, you can write to Benefit Investigations Team,
South Worcestershire Revenues and Benefits Shared Services, PO Box
11, PERSHORE, WR10 1PU. You can also e-mail the investigations team
(investigations@swrbss.org)
or fax them on (01386) 565385.
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 South Worcestershire Revenues
and Benefits Shared Services, PO Box 11, PERSHORE, WR10 1PU ,
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.
