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Guide to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support

Find detailed information about Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support including who is eligible to apply for it.

Your information

The Housing Benefit scheme is based on regulations set by the government. We need to know a lot of information about you and your household before we can work out how much benefit you are entitled to.

You will be asked for original documents to prove your:

  • identity
  • address
  • national insurance number
  • income and capital of £6,000 or more
  • rent liability

Find out more about providing proof in our Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support standards of proof guide.

Don't delay sending your claim form if the proof isn't available at the moment. You can send the information in later, but we cannot work out your benefit until we receive it.

If you give our customer service officer all the documents needed to support your new claim, we will try to assess and agree your claim within 48 hours.

Published: 8 December 2020

Last updated: 18 March 2024