Apply for Benefits online

Apply for Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit online

Apply online 

Making a claim for council tax support or housing benefit online is quick and easy to do.

In certain circumstances, we may not require evidence to support your application. However, your online form will tell you what evidence to provide and when to upload it. Please make sure your evidence is up to date and, if you are not able to supply it when submitting your application, please supply within one month of making the claim.

You can apply online here for Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit but please read the information below and check your eligibility by using a Benefit Calculator first. 

Also, if you need to provide any documents in support of your claim in person at our offices this can only be done by pre booking an appointment

Universal Credit

If you claim Universal Credit any help you are eligible for towards your rent costs will have already been paid within your Universal Credit payments. Therefore you do not need to normally make a separate claim for Housing Benefit.

However there are some exceptions to this and if you are in supported accommodation or have been placed in temporary accommodation by our Housing Needs Team then you may continue to have Housing Benefit paid instead.

Help towards your Council Tax is not included in your Universal Credit payments so you will have to make a separate claim for Council Tax Support.

If in doubt please do not hesitate to contact us

Savings (Capital)

If you have savings of more than £16,000 you will not be entitled to any Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support. However this savings threshold does not apply if you are receiving Pension Credit (Guarantee).

Benefit Calculators

You can use online calculators to work out if you can apply for benefits and how much you might be able to get:

How benefits are calculated

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support are calculated by comparing how much income you have got coming in by how much money the government says you need to live on. The amounts are known as personal allowances and reflect the basic living needs of the person making the claim and any of their family members.

Adults that live with you may affect your claim

Items classed as income include:

  • All State Pensions and Benefits
  • Private Pensions
  • Salaries and Wages * see note below
  • Payments received from boarders and lodgers etc 
  • For every £250 of savings which exceeds £6,000 an income of £1 per week is taken into account, or if you are aged 60 or more it is £1 for every £500 which exceeds £10,000

*full salary and wage amounts are not taken into account when benefit is assessed. From the gross amounts the following are deducted: Income Tax, National Insurance, half of any payment to a Private Pension or a Superannuation Scheme. After that there is a further disregard of £5 for a single person, £10 for a couple or £25 for a single parent. There may be further deductions too depending on your circumstances.

The following income is disregarded but still needs to be declared on your claim:

  • War Pension
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance
  • Child Benefit and Maintenance in respect of a child

Items classed as capital include: 

  • Cash  
  • Bank, Building Society and Post Office Accounts
  • Bonds
  • Premium Bonds
  • ISAs
  • National Savings Certificates
  • Stocks, Shares and Unit Trusts
  • Property or Land that you have an interest in - this does not include the property you occupy as your home

Can my claim be backdated ?

Please click on the relevant link to find out about backdating your claim for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support

More information about Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support

Please click on the relevant link to find out more information about Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit