Housing Benefit

From 14 November 2018, most working age customers will need to claim Universal Credit for help with their rent. View information on the eligibility for Housing Benefit to see if you eligible.

Visit the GOV.UK website for more information about Universal Credit and how to claim it.

Universal Credit will not cover Council Tax, so if you need help to pay Council Tax. View information on to claim Council Tax Reduction.

How much Housing Benefit am I entitled to?

The amount you will receive will depend on your circumstances, including who lives with you, your income and the income of anyone who lives with you, who you rent your property from, and the amount of any rent charged. Visit the GOV.UK website for details of independent and free-to-use benefits calculators to calculate an estimate of the Housing Benefit you may be entitled to.

Visit the GOV.UK website to use the calculator to estimate your Housing Benefit entitlement

However, accurate entitlement can only be determined when a full application, backed-up by the relevant documentation, is submitted to the Council. The calculators will also give an estimate of other state benefits you may be entitled to. State Pension age customers may be entitled to Pension Credit paid by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Visit the GOV.UK website to find out if you are eligible for Pension Credit by using the calculator

Local Housing Allowance rates

If you rent your home from a private landlord, the maximum rent we can base your Housing Benefit on will normally be based on Local Housing Allowance rates for the area. This is the maximum amount, and your household circumstances and income may reduce the amount of Housing Benefit we can pay.

Local Housing Allowance rates: from 1 April 2024
RATE	WEEKLY	MONTHLY
Shared Accommodation rate+	£85	£368.33
1 bedroom rate	£109.32	£473.72
2 bedroom rate	£136.93	£593.36
3 bedroom rate	£166.85	£723.02
4 bedroom rate	£224.38	£972.31

+ Please note: The Shared Accommodation rate now applies to most single people under 35 years of age, regardless of whether or not they live in self-contained accommodation. For exemptions, please contact us. It also applies to single people over the age of 35 and living in shared accommodation.

View previous LHA rates:

How many bedrooms is my household allowed?

Based on the Government's calculation of household needs, you need to count one bedroom for each of the following:

a couple
a person who is not a child (aged 16 or over)
two children under 10 of either sex
two children under 16 of the same sex
any other child
a carer who provides you or your partner with regular overnight care but doesn't live with you (we will need to request information before we can make a decision to include an extra bedroom)
a child with a severe disability (in receipt of Disability Living Allowance at the middle or high rate) who is unable to share a room (we will need to request information before we can make a decision to include an extra bedroom)
if you have a foster child, foster children or are an approved foster carer between placements, one extra room can usually be included in the calculation
if you have an adult child who is a member of the armed forces who normally lives with you but is away on operations, one extra room can be included in the calculation
couples who are unable to share due to disability (we will need to request further information before we can include an extra bedroom; one member of the couple must also be in receipt of one of the following: middle or higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance, higher rate Attendance Allowance, daily living component of Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence payment).

Reductions to Housing Benefit - Social Sector Size Criteria or "bedroom tax"

If you rent your home from a housing association, the maximum rent we can usually base your Housing Benefit on will be the actual amount of your rent (less any ineligible service charges). This is the maximum amount, and your household circumstances and income may reduce the amount of Housing Benefit we can pay.

From April 2013, the Government announced that working age tenants of registered social landlords or housing associations would have their Housing Benefit reduced if they have one or more spare bedrooms.

These changes do not affect:

tenants who have reached State Pension age (visit the GOV.UK website to check your State Pension age). From 15 May 2019, both members of a couple must have reached State Pension age to be exempt. However, if one member of the couple was of State Pension age before this date and there has been continuous entitlement to Housing Benefit based on both members of the couple being included in the claim, the Social Sector Size Criteria won’t apply
tenants in shared ownership properties
tenants that the Council has placed in certain types of temporary accommodation for homeless people.

These rules mean that those tenants whose accommodation is larger than they need may have their Housing Benefit reduced.

How much Housing Benefit will I lose?

Those with one spare bedroom will have the maximum rent that can be used in the Housing Benefit calculation reduced by 14%.
Those with two or more spare bedrooms will have the maximum rent that can be used in the Housing Benefit calculation reduced by 25%.

The Benefit cap

In April 2013, the Government introduced a cap on the amount that some working age people can receive from state benefits.

This does not affect those who have reached State Pension age (visit the GOV.UK website to check your State Pension age). From 15 May 2019, both members of a couple must have reached State Pension age to be exempt. However, if one member of the couple was State Pension age before this date and there has been continuous entitlement to Housing Benefit based on both members of the couple being included in the claim, the Benefit cap won’t apply.

From 1 April 2023, the benefit cap will be:

£423.46 per week for a couple (with or without children)
£423.46 per week for single parents whose children live with them
£283.71 per week for single people.

Not everyone is affected. Visit the GOV.UK Benefit cap website for more information on exemptions and which benefits are taken into account and those who won't be affected by the cap.

When should I claim?

It is important that you complete your intention to claim as soon as you can.

When will my claim start?

The date your claim will start depends on how and when you claim Housing Benefit.

We normally start your claim from the Monday after you first made contact with us or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), but only if you complete the claim process within one month. If you don't complete the claim process within one month, your claim will usually start from the Monday after we receive your completed claim.

It is therefore very important that you complete the intention to claim form as soon as you want to claim and that you attend your chosen telephone appointment.

Can you start my claim from an earlier date?

We cannot usually start your claim any sooner. However, in certain circumstances, we may be able to backdate your claim for up to a maximum of one month from the date of your request. To be considered for this, you must:

make a request for backdating in writing
tell us the date you want to claim from
tell us why you didn't make your claim earlier - give us as much information as you can in support of your request
if your income was any different during the backdate period, you must provide evidence of it.

We will then look at your request and decide whether you have good cause for not making your claim sooner.

Council Tax Reduction

When we calculate your entitlement to Housing Benefit, we will also calculate any entitlement to Council Tax Reduction that could reduce the amount of Council Tax you need to pay.

View information about Council Tax Reduction and how to apply

Benefits team

To make a claim for Housing Benefit, please select one of the following online forms:

Complete our online intention to claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (working age) form

Complete our online intention to claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (State Pension age) form

For general enquiries:

Complete our Benefit Enquiry form to contact the Benefits team

Last updated : 23 May 2025

From 14 November 2018, most working age customers will need to claim Universal Credit for help with their rent. View information on the eligibility for Housing Benefit to see if you eligible.

Visit the GOV.UK website for more information about Universal Credit and how to claim it.

Universal Credit will not cover Council Tax, so if you need help to pay Council Tax. View information on to claim Council Tax Reduction.

You can claim Housing Benefit if you pay rent to live in your home and you have reached State Pension age (visit the GOV.UK website to check your State Pension age). From 15 May 2019, both members of a couple must have reached State Pension age. If you are working age and fall into one of the working age exceptions below, you can claim Housing Benefit. If you don’t, you will need to claim Universal Credit for help with your housing costs.

Housing Benefit entitlement is based on your household circumstances, income and savings/capital.

If you also want help with your Council Tax, you only need to make one claim. We will assess your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support award at the same time.

If you have savings or capital of £16,000 or more, you will not be entitled to any Housing Benefit, unless you are receiving Pension Credit Guarantee Credit.

If you have a partner, we will also include their income and savings when we work out any benefit entitlement.

Working age exceptions who can claim Housing Benefit

If you have not yet reached State Pension age, you can make a claim for Housing Benefit if:

you live in specified or supported exempt accommodation (where you have been placed in the accommodation due to an identifiable need for care, support or supervision and your landlord is a housing association, registered charity or voluntary organisation)
you live in temporary accommodation provided by Telford & Wrekin Council
you are making your claim before 27 January 2021 and you are entitled to a severe disability premium (or have been in the last month) within your claim to Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. This only applies to claims made up to 27 January 2021. For help with housing costs on or after 27 January 2021, claims will need to be made to Universal Credit.

Benefits team

To make a claim for Housing Benefit, please select one of the following online forms:

Complete our online intention to claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (working age) form

Complete our online intention to claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (State Pension age) form

For general enquiries:

Complete our Benefit Enquiry form to contact the Benefits team

Last updated : 6 August 2024

From 14 November 2018, most working age customers will need to claim Universal Credit for help with their rent. View more information the eligibility for Housing Benefit to see if you are eligible.

Universal Credit will not cover Council Tax. If you need help to pay your Council Tax, view our information about how to claim Council Tax Reduction.

Intention to claim online forms

The quickest way to make an intention to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction is to complete our online form. There are separate forms for customers of working age and those who have reached State Pension age.

You will be asked questions about your personal circumstances and be told what evidence you will need to provide. It is important that you provide the correct information when asked on the form and during the appointment so that we can accurately calculate your entitlement.

At the end of the form, you'll be able to book a telephone appointment with a benefits assessor. Please choose a date when you think you will have all information and evidence available so that, wherever possible, we can process your claim during the appointment. The information and evidence required are detailed below.

Complete our online intention to claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (working age) form

Complete our online intention to claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (State Pension age) form

Please make sure you have all your personal details ready when you complete the form, including:

your National Insurance number and that of your partner, if you have one
the full address that you want to claim for including the postcode
the income source and amount received by you, your partner and any non-dependants (adult relatives or friends who don't live with you on a commercial basis) who live with you
if you or your partner are working, the name of your employer, date you started work, number of hours you normally work and how often you are paid
the full name(s) and date(s) of birth of everyone who lives with you
if you rent your home, the full name and address of your landlord, the start date of your tenancy, and the amount and frequency of rent charged
if you or your partner is not a British Citizen, the details of yours or their work history for the last 2 years.

What will happen during the telephone appointment?

Important: Please ensure that you have your phone switched on, charged and are ready to accept our call as we won't be able to complete your claim if we can't contact you.

When a Benefit Assessment Officer contacts you, they will:

check your details, your household details, income and capital with you
once all of the required information has been provided, assess your entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, and give you details about how much you are entitled to
if you have been unable to email us proof of your income and capital, discuss with you how you could provide this.

Supporting documents

This table shows the supporting documents that you will need to support your claim.
INFORMATION	DOCUMENT TYPE
National Insurance number	National Insurance card, National Insurance confirmation letter, payslip, benefit award letter. If we need you to provide proof of your National Insurance Number, we will discuss this with you at your telephone appointment.
Identity	Passport, driving licence, medical card, birth certificate, utility bill for your current address, marriage or adoption certificate, divorce document. If we need you to provide proof of your identity, we will discuss this with you at your telephone appointment.
Residency	You must have moved into the property you intend to claim for.
Tenancy and rent	If you are claiming Housing Benefit, your tenancy agreement, rent book, licence to occupy, proof of rent payments made/rent receipts.
Earnings	We can usually check the amount of your or your partner’s earnings with HMRC. If we are unable to check your earnings, we will discuss this with you at your telephone appointment. If you have just started work, we will accept your Contract of Employment and the number of hours you are contracted-for to work out an estimate of your pay. You will then need to provide your first two months or five weeks payslips when you receive them.
Benefits and pensions	We can usually check most Benefits paid by the DWP directly with them so that you don't need to provide evidence. We can also check most occupational pensions with HMRC. We will let you know at the telephone appointment if you need to provide proof. If we need to see proof, we will ask you to provide a benefit award/entitlement letter, pension advice/pay slip, bank statement showing regular payment.
Bank accounts other capital and properties	Last three monthly statements for each account, Post Office/savings book, premium bond certificate, stocks and shares certificates. Proof of ownership, mortgage, property valuation. If you rent out a property, you need to provide proof of the rent you receive from your tenant.
Dependant children	Name, date of birth and child benefit proof for each child.
Child care costs	Statement from provider, invoice/receipts from provider.
Non-dependants	Name, date of birth, National Insurance number and income details.
Housing Benefit payments	Your bank sort code, account number and name on the account. For payments to your landlord+, your landlord’s bank sort code, account number and name on the account.
+ Payment can only be made to landlords if the claimant satisfies certain criteria.