Help with Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction

• Making a claim for housing benefit or council tax reduction 
• What we need from you when you apply
• Benefits portal troubleshooting guidance
• How do I find my National Insurance number?
• Has my claim or change in circumstance form been received?
• Making a claim for Discretionary Housing Payments 
• Can I view the information I entered after I have submitted my form?
• Register for online letters 
• Viewing your online letters
• If you do not understand or disagree with our decision

Making a claim for housing benefit or council tax reduction

You can use Haringey’s online benefit portal to make a new claim for housing benefit and council tax reduction.

• You will be able to upload any evidence when making your application.
• You can save your application at various stages and finish it later. If you save your details part way through you will be given a Citizen Access Benefits key code. Make a note of this as you'll need it to log back into your form.
• When saving your form you must set 3 security answers otherwise the form can't be continued (or retrieved by us).
• Saved forms must be completed within 14 days of saving (this resets each time the form is saved).
• We may contact you to ask for any additional information to support your claim.

Claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction

Back to top

What we need from you when you apply

• National Insurance number for you (and your partner if applicable)
• Full name and dates of birth of everyone in your household
• For Housing Benefit claims – landlord’s details, the amount of rent you pay and any charges included in your rent, such as water or electricity
• Your household income, savings, investments and expenses – including things like childcare costs and private pension contributions

Back to top

Benefits portal troubleshooting guidance

If you are having trouble with your online benefit application please visit the Benefits portal troubleshooting guidance page. It covers frequently asked questions about new claims, changes, access keys, proof uploads and online benefit letters and should help you resolve your issue.

Back to top

How do I find my National Insurance number?

National Insurance numbers are issued by HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC).

Your National Insurance number can be found on your wage slips or any letter from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), or from HMRC.

Back to top

Has my claim or change in circumstance form been received?

You will receive an automated email confirming submission of your online claim form.

Please note: it can take up to 10 working days to process your new claim. Please ensure you submit all relevant proofs via the 'Upload evidence' form.

Back to top

Making a claim for Discretionary Housing Payments

You may also be eligible for Discretionary Housing Payments if your Housing Benefit is less than the full amount of your rent. 

Claim Discretionary Housing Payment

Back to top

Can I view the information I entered after I have submitted my form?

You are not able to view your answers once you have submitted the form. You are able to save or print the form before you select 'Submit'. If you need to make any changes please complete a Benefit Enquiry form.

You need to register to view housing benefit and local council tax support decision letters online.

If you opt to view your letters online you will need to give your email address and tell us your preferred method of contact is email.

• You will only be able to view letters created after your registration date
• We will stop sending you letters in the post
• When we make a decision on your claim, we will send you an email to tell you there are letters available to be viewed
• Online letters mean we can tell you about changes to your benefit quickly
• Your letters will be stored safely and you will be able to view them at any time

Back to top

Register for online letters 

Under 'View online letters' click on the Register for online letters link.

Back to top

Viewing your online letters

To view your letters after you have registered, you will need the following:

• lead name of your claim
• national insurance number
• date of birth
• your claim reference number
• email address you used when you registered for this service

Under 'View online letters' click on the View my online letters link.

If you decide you do not want to be registered or if you change your email address please let us know by emailing rbdevelopment@haringey.gov.uk.

Back to top

If you do not understand or disagree with our decision

If you don’t understand your benefit decision, please visit the Understanding your benefit letter page.

If you disagree with our decision, you can ask us to look at it again or make an appeal.

To find out more visit the How do I appeal a decision page.

• For any other enquiries see our Benefits contact page

Back to top