Payment of Housing Benefit

Claiming backdated Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit

The Revenues Service has recently implemented payment of Housing Benefit by bank automated credit (BACS). This method of payment ensures payment is received promptly without the worry of having to pay in a cheque. BACS payments are more cost effective for the Council and much more convenient for the customer. For this reason we will no longer be paying housing benefit payments by cheque.

If you are entitled to housing benefit and have not already supplied us with your bank account details, please do so immediately by contacting our Customer Services Centre on 01582 510345.

Late Claims - claiming backdated Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit

Why backdating?

Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit is normally awarded from Monday after the day you make your claim. You may feel that you should have had benefit from an earlier date. The law says that we can backdate your benefit for up to 52 weeks IF you can give a good reason why you did not apply sooner.

What is a good reason?

It includes any facts that would have caused a reasonable person to act in the same way as you did. This includes your age, health, background and knowledge of the benefits system, as well as information you had received or could have obtained. Some examples are:

death of a close relative
being in hopsital or seriously ill
being wrongly advised by a person who should have known better, such as Council staff, Jobcentre Plus staff or Citizen Advice Bureau
language difficulties (if there was nobody else able to help you)

There has to be a good reason and it must have lasted throughout the time that you want us to backdate your benefit. If you do not give us a good reason we cannot backdate your benefit.

What happens next?

We will reply within 28 days. If we refuse your claim for backdating, we will tell you the reasons why. We will also tell you what to do if you disagree with our decision.

Any backdated benefit will be calculated on your circumstances that applied during the backdating period. If your circumstances were different during that time you may be asked to fill in another claim form.

For more information please contact the Revenues Service using the contact information provided, or you can visit our Customer Service Centre at the Town Hall, or alternatively, visit our local neighbourhood offices, details on our opening hours page.