Housing and Council Tax Benefits FAQs

For more Frequently Asked Questions about Housing and Council Tax Benefits see the FAQs document in the attached files section. You can also look at our Local Housing Allowance FAQ page which answers questions specifically about LHA.

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I’ve made my claim but I haven’t heard anything yet – what should I do?

Please wait 14 days before contacting us to find out about your claim. You can find details of how to contact us in the How To Contact Us section.

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What is a ‘non-dependant’ and how do they affect my claim?

A non-dependant is a person who lives in your home on a non-commercial basis. Non-dependants are normally adult children or relatives but they can also be friends or anyone else who lives with you.

We normally reduce your Housing and Council Tax Benefit for every non-dependant in your home. We call this a ‘non-dependant deduction’.

In some cases we will not make any non-dependant deduction. For example, we will not make a deduction if you or your partner:

are registered blind, or
get Disability Living Allowance (care component) or Attendance allowance.

We will also make no deduction if the non-dependant:

is under 18 years old
gets a Youth Training Allowance
has been in an NHS hospital for more than 52 weeks
is in prison
normally lives elsewhere
is a full-time student
gets Pension Credit
gets Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance (income based) and is aged under 25.
is severely mentally impaired (Council Tax Benefit only)

Otherwise your benefit will be reduced for each non-dependant as follows:

Housing Benefit – reduced by anything from £7.40 to £47.75 per week.
Main Council Tax Benefit – reduced by anything from £2.30 to £6.95 per week.

The actual amount of the deduction depends on the income and circumstances of the non-dependant.

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My circumstances have changed since I last told you – what do I have to do?

If you or your partner are getting Pension Credit please go to the section for people receiving Pension Credit.

You must tell us right away if anything changes for you or anyone who lives with you as this could affect your benefit. If we find that we have paid you too much you will have to pay us back.

You must report any changes to us in writing or by visiting one of our offices. You can find the addresses on our How To Contact Us page. You can also download a change of circumstances reporting form from our Downloadable forms page.

Here are some of the things you must tell us about:

If you stop or start getting Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance or any other benefit.
If your rent goes up or down (private tenants only)
If you or your partner’s wages go up or down
If the other money that you and your family have coming in goes up or down
If your savings or your family’s savings change
If anyone who lives with you has a change in their situation, such as starting work.
If anyone who lives with you moves out.
If anyone moves in to live with you.
If you change your address.
If you go away for 13 weeks or more
If you are refused asylum by the Home Office

These are only some of the changes that you must tell us about. If you are not sure whether a change needs reporting you should tell us anyway.

The law says that changes of circumstances must be notified within one month of them happening. If you tell us about any changes late you may lose benefit.

If you give us false information or do not tell us of changes on time you may be prosecuted.

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My circumstances have changed since I last told you – what do I have to do? (For people receiving Pension Credit)

If you are getting the ‘Guarantee Credit’ or the ‘Guarantee Credit’ plus the ‘Savings Credit’, you must tell us about the following:

Changes to your tenancy (for example, if your rent changes or you move out).
If anyone who lives with you moves out or their situation changes, such as starting work.
If someone moves into your household.
If you are going away for 13 weeks or more.

If you are getting the ‘Savings Credit’ only you must tell us about the following:

Changes to your tenancy (for example, if your rent changes or you move out).
If anyone who lives with you moves out or their situation changes, such as starting work.
If someone moves into your household.
If you are going away for 13 weeks or more.
Changes to any child care charges you incur
If you have savings and investments that go over £16,000
Changes to the income or capital of your partner (if they were not included in the Pension Credit claim).

You do not need to tell us about any other changes.

The law says that changes of circumstances must be notified within one month of them happening. If you tell us about any changes late you may lose benefit.

If you give us false information or do not tell us of changes on time you may be prosecuted.

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What can I do if I disagree with a decision about my claim?

If you are not happy with a decision we make about your claim you have 3 choices:

You can ask us to change the decision
You can ask us to explain the decision in writing

You can appeal against the decision. Appeals are heard by an independent appeal tribunal called ‘The Tribunals Service’ - see external links section at the bottom of the page to visit their website.

If you want to do any of these things you must do so in writing to us. You must tell us which decision you disagree with (or want explained) and why.

You can download an appeal form from our Downloadable Forms section. You will need to print the form, complete it and send or bring it back to us. You can find the addresses in our How to contact us section

If you ask us to change a decision, but we choose not to do so, you will still be able to appeal against it. You should make your appeal within one month of our refusal to change it.

Whenever you want to appeal, you should do so within one month of the decision being made. In special circumstances this time limit can be extended but do not delay making your appeal or it may not be heard.

If you ask us to explain a decision we have made, we will extend the one month time limit for appealing by the time it takes us to respond to your request.

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What happens to my benefit if I go away?

If you going away for less than 13 weeks your benefit will not be affected so long as:

You intend to return to your home, and
You have not let or sublet your home while you are away, and
Your period of absence will be unlikely to exceed 13 weeks

If you are going away for 13 weeks or more you must tell us. Your benefit will normally end from when you go away. You will then have to claim benefit again when you return.

In certain circumstances you can get benefit for longer than this whilst absent from home. For example, if you are:

detained in custody on remand pending trial
in a bail hostel or bailed but required to live at an address other than your normal home
in hospital as a patient
absent because you are in fear of violence in your home or from a former family member

then we will still be able to pay benefit for up to 52 weeks so long as: