Benefits - Frequently Asked Questions

 
Housing Benefit - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. What income do you include when you calculate my benefit?

We take account of the following income:

•  Working Family Tax Credit, Disabled Persons Tax Credit, Sickness benefit, Job
  Seeker's Allowance (contribution based), State Pensions and benefits and pensions from
  past employers.
•  All your earnings less tax, National Insurance and half of any pension contributions you
  make. Your earnings include commission, bonuses, tips, overtime and part-time earnings.
•  Maintenance payments, rent from sub-tenants and any other income.
•  If you have savings between £6000 and £16000 we have to add £1 a week to the income
  we use to work out your benefit for each £250 (or part of £250) of savings over £3000 for under 60's and £500 (or part of £500) for claimants aged 60 or over
  For example, if you have £6001 we will add £1 a week.

• Use our benefits calculator to see how your benefit is worked out

Q. How much benefit can I get?

We cannot give you any help towards water charges, heating charges and certain other charges
such as those for washing your own clothes or cleaning your room or flat. You must pay these. If
you have any other adults living with you, such as grown-up children, we may have to reduce
the benefit we can pay you.

If you get Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance (income based), we will give you enough
benefit to pay all your rent, less any amounts for charges we cannot pay (these are explained
above). However, if your rent is too high, we have to reduce the amount we pay.
You will also get benefit for the full Council Tax bill (after discounts and any other reduction for
disability), less any amounts for other adults living with you.

If you do not get Income Support or Job Seeker's Allowance (income based), the amount of
benefit we can give you depends on the amount of income you have coming in every week, as
well as other things such as:

•  the amount of rent or Council Tax you pay;
•  whether you are single
•  whether you are over 60
•  whether you have a disability
•  whether you have children

Q. What  if I am under 25?

If you are under 25 and you rent from a private landlord we base the amount of Housing Benefit
that we can pay you on a 'single room rent'. The figure used to calculate the single room rent is
provided to us by the Rent Officer.  We have to use this figure even if
you have a single room in a shared flat and pay only some of the rent on the whole
accommodation.

Q. What happens if I rent a flat from a close relative who does not live there?

If the relative from who you rent the flat does not live there you can claim Housing Benefit
provided that the tenancy is let on a commercial basis and wasn't created to take advantage of
the Housing Benefit system.

Q. What happens if I live with a close relative and they charge me rent?
If you live with one of the following people and they are also your Landlord you cannot claim
Housing Benefit:

• a parent, step-parent or parent-in-law
• a brother or sister
• a son, son-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, step-son, step-daughter
• a partner of any of the above

Q. What should I do if my circumstances change?

You must tell us immediately if any of your circumstances change. This can include:

• a change to your income or your partner's income
• if you start or stop getting Income Support or Job Seeker's Allowance
• someone moves in or out of your home
• the circumstances of anyone living with you change

Q. You have told me I have been overpaid. What should I do?

If you are still in receipt of Housing Benefit we can take the amount overpaid back from your
weekly benefit. If you are a council tenant and you have a credit on your rent account we could
use that. If you are no longer in receipt of Housing Benefit, please contact our Overpayment
section on 01707 357945 or 01707 357946 to arrange repayment.

Q. When does my benefit start?

If you move into a new address we can start your claim on the date that you move in provided we
receive the claim form before you move in or within the same week (for Benefit purposes a week
begins on a Monday and ends on a Sunday). If you are receiving Income Support, or Job Seeker's Allowance (income
based) and you move into a new address your benefit will start on the date that you move in,
provided we receive a claim form within four weeks of that date.

If you are already living in a property your benefit will normally start on the Monday after you
make your claim.

Q. Can I claim backdated benefit?

If you wish to claim backdated benefit you will have to show 'good cause' as to why you failed
to claim earlier. Normally 'good cause' would require you to be incapacitated in some way, such
as being in hospital or mentally unable to deal with your own affairs. You will need to provide
proof of this good cause in most instances.

See our backdating section.

Q. What happens if I am absent from my home?

If you go away from your home for a week or more you should contact us before you go. If you
do not contact us your benefit may stop and you may have to make a new claim on your return.

If you contact us first you are still entitled to receive Housing Benefit for up to 13 weeks.

If you return after 13 weeks absence we will not normally be able to pay you any benefit for the
time you were away even if you told us before you left.

There are different rules for people who have to leave their home to go into hospital, are
fleeing domestic violence or are prisoners on remand.

In all cases you must have the intention to return to the property within either 13 to 52 weeks and
you must not charge somebody else rent for living in your accommodation whilst you are away.

Click here for our leaflet on temporary absence from home.

Imprisonment

If you are in prison as a remand prisoner you can receive benefit for up to 52 weeks. If during
this time you are sentenced and committed to prison your Housing Benefit will stop unless your
sentence is for 13 weeks or less.

You do not have to inform us before you go to prison to receive benefits for this period. However
you or a friend, or relative , or a prison social worker should inform us as soon as possible.

Hospital Stays

If you go into hospital we can pay your benefit for up to 52 weeks provided that you are
expected to return home within that time. However, the amount of benefit that we can pay you
may decrease if you are in hospital for more than 6 weeks. You do not need to contact us before
you go into hospital to receive benefit for this period. However, if possible you should ask a
friend, or relative, or a hospital social worker to let us know where you are as soon as possible.

Hertfordshire County Council's website provides further information what to claim if you are ill or disabled.

Fleeing domestic violence

It is possible for Housing Benefit to be paid for up to 52 weeks if you have had to leave your
home because of fear of domestic violence. If you are in a women's refuge you should ask one of
the workers to contact us, if you feel unable to do so yourself, even if the refuge is not in
Welwyn Hatfield . We will not disclose your refuge address to anyone.

Q. Why are you making deductions for a non-dependant?

Because the income of every adult living in the household has to be taken into account when
assessing a claim for housing benefit. This reflects the contribution that other adults living in the
household would be able to make to the claimant's housing costs, whether they actually make
them or not.

For information relating to non-dependants please click here