Benefits - How to Claim

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• Benefits - How to Claim

To apply you must complete an application form. To get a form please

• telephone the Benefit Office on 020 8547 5198
• email us at hsngben@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
• download a copy of the application form (available at the bottom of this page)

There are strict time-limits on claiming. Housing Council Tax benefit normally starts from the Monday after we receive your claim form.  If you have just moved into your new home you must give us your claim form the week that you move so that you don’t lose out on any benefit.  

If you can’t get a completed claim form to us on the date you want to claim from, please call the office to request a claim form, and we will record this request date on the claim form.  Once you have completed the claim form you must send it back to us within one month.  If we get it after the one month period, your claim will start from the Monday after we get your form.

If you need to claim Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit, please call 0800 055 6688.  When you make your claim for these benefits, they will ask you if you want to claim Housing or Council Tax Benefit.  If you say yes, they will take your claim for Housing and Council Tax benefit at the same time and then send it to us.

The Pension Service can now help you apply for Housing and Council Tax Benefit at the same time as your application for Pension Credit. Phone the Pension Credit Application Line on 0800 99 123 4. The application line is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.

Do not delay in returning the form!

In the claim form we tell you what information is needed to assess your claim.  If you can give us all of this information at the same time you give us your completed claim form, we will be able to assess your claim quicker than if you don’t give us all of the information and we need to write to you.

However if you don’t have all the information necessary send the application form anyway and we will write to you asking for the information we still need.  If you have a contact telephone number it would be helpful if you could put this on the claim form.  It may be quicker for us to call you and let you know what information we still need rather than writing to you.

How Housing Benefit is paid

If you are a council tenant, Housing Benefit is paid weekly directly to your rent account.

If you are a private tenant and your claim started before 7th April 2008 Housing Benefit is usually paid four weekly in arrears, direct to your bank account (by BACS).  It can be paid to you or your landlord.  We can’t pay anyone else apart from you, your landlord or your landlord’s agents.  You should note that the Council will pay your landlord directly if:

• You ask us to pay your landlord
• You are 8 weeks or more in arrears
• If, in the opinion of the Council, it is in the best interests of the tenant.
• The landlord has to sign a "payment acceptance form" in order for payments to be made direct to them. You can download a form using the links at the bottom of the page.

If you are a private tenant and your claim started on after 7th April 2008 you will be assessed under the new scheme.  This scheme is called Local Housing Allowance (LHA).   Benefit will normally be paid direct to you and it will be your responsibility to pay your rent to your landlord.  You cannot simply choose to have your benefit paid direct to your landlord.  LHA will normally be paid direct into a bank account.  This means you will need to open a bank account if you do not have one already.   You can then arrange for your bank or building society to pay your rent to your landlord automatically.  Please see the link at the bottom of the page for more information about LHA.  

For advice on how to set up a bank account, go to the Now Let's Talk Money website (see under External Links below)

How often Housing Benefit is paid

You may not be paid four weekly from the start date of your claim.  You will not be paid on the same date every month.  This is because a four weekly month (28 days) is less than a calendar month (28-31 days).  If your landlord charges a monthly rent, he/she will usually expect you to make 12 monthly payments in advance in a one year period.  If you claim and get Housing Benefit, you (or your landlord) will be paid 13 four weekly payments in a one year period.  Please see the examples below.

Example:

1. Mr Smith starts a tenancy on 1 January 2007.  He has to pay £800 per month to his landlord.  This means that for a one year period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 he needs to pay his landlord £9600.  This is made up of 12 monthly payments, made on the 1^st of every month.

He claims on time and gets full Housing Benefit.  There are no restrictions on the maximum rent we can use in his assessment.  He is on Income Support and so qualifies for full Housing Benefit.

Housing Benefit is assessed on a weekly basis.  His weekly rent is £184.62 (this figure has been rounded to two decimal places).  As he qualifies for full benefit, this means he qualifies for his full weekly rent of £184.62 to be paid by us.  

Every four weeks he will get a payment of £738.48.  This means that for a one year period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 he will get 13 four weekly payments of £738.48, which equal to £9600 for the year.

His rent is due on 1 January 2007, and then on the 1^st of every month until December 2007.  His Housing Benefit payments will start on 29^th January 2007, and then every four weeks (26 February 2007, 26 March 2007, 23 April 2007, 21 May 2007 and so on).

2. Mr Smith starts a tenancy on 11 December 2006.  He has to pay £800 per month to his landlord.  This means that for a one year period 11 December 2006 to 10 December 2007 he needs to pay his landlord £9600.  This is made up of 12 monthly payments, made on the 11^th of every month.

He claims on time and gets full Housing Benefit.  There are no restrictions on the maximum rent we can use in his assessment.  He is on Income Support and so qualifies for full Housing Benefit.

Housing Benefit is assessed on a weekly basis.  His weekly rent is £184.62 (this figure has been rounded to two decimal places).  As he qualifies for full benefit, this means he qualifies for his full weekly rent of £184.62 to be paid by us.  

Every four weeks he will get a payment of £738.48.  This means that for a one year period 11 December 2006 to 10 December 2007 he will get 13 four weekly payments of £738.48, which equal to £9600 for the year.

His rent is due on 11 December 2006, and then on the 11^th of every month until December 2007.  His Housing Benefit payments will start on 1st January 2007.  This is the first available date he can be paid on.

He will be paid the Housing Benefit that is owed to him for the period 11 December 2006 to 31 December 2006 (3 weeks). We will then pay his Housing Benefit every four weeks from that date (29 January 2007, 26 February 2007, 26 March 2007, 23 April 2007, 21 May 2007 and so on).