Housing Benefit can’t be paid for heating, hot water, energy or food – if you need help, use the benefits adviser to see what else you might be entitled to.

There’s no set amount of Housing Benefit. How much you get depends on:

• if you rent privately or from a council
• whether you have unoccupied rooms and live in council or social housing
• your household income and circumstances (including your partner’s)

Income includes money from savings (over £6,000), benefits and pensions.

From April 2013, you may also be able to get extra help from your local council called a ‘discretionary housing payment’ if your Housing Benefit doesn’t cover your rent.

Council and social housing rent

How much you get depends on:

• your ‘eligible’ rent – eg what’s a reasonable rent for a suitable property where you live
• your household income
• your circumstances – eg your age, your family and their ages, if anyone in the family is disabled, the number of rooms you don’t use
• if you have to pay service charges – eg lift maintenance, communal laundry facilities

Under-occupied rooms

From April 2013, if you live in council accommodation or other social housing and are assessed as having at least 1 extra bedroom in your house, your Housing Benefit could be reduced by:

• 14% of the ‘eligible rent’ if you have 1 extra bedroom
• 25% of the ‘eligible rent’ if you have 2 or more extra bedrooms

The reduction is worked out based on your eligible rent (including any eligible services), not on your Housing Benefit.

Number of bedrooms you can claim

You can claim 1 bedroom for:

• each single adult
• each couple
• all children of the same gender under 16
• all children under 10 (regardless of gender)
• each disabled tenant
• each partner needing an external overnight carer
• all foster children (also applies when no foster children live with you as long as the room isn’t empty for more than 52 weeks)
• each foster child that can’t share a bedroom because of a disability or medical condition (contact your local council with medical evidence)
• each adult child in the Armed Forces or each reservist
• all external carers who provide overnight care for you or your partner

Private rent

How much you get is usually based on the Local Housing Allowance Limit in your area, your income and circumstances.

Exception

If you’ve been getting Housing Benefit since before 7 April 2008, these limits only apply if you:

• change address
• have a break in your claim for Housing Benefit

How you’re paid

Housing Benefit is paid by your local council as follows:

• council tenants – into your rent account (you won’t receive the money)
• private tenants – into your bank or building society account (rarely by cheque)

The benefit cap

The benefit cap puts a limit on the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to 64 can get, and started to affect some local councils from 15 April 2013.

If you’re affected, your Housing Benefit will go down to make sure that the total amount of benefit you get isn’t more than the cap level.

You may get Housing Benefit if:

• you pay rent
• you’re on a low income or claiming benefits
• your savings are below a certain level – usually £16,000

You can apply if you’re employed or unemployed, but if you live with a partner, only one of you can get Housing Benefit.

If you’re single and under 35, you can only get Housing Benefit for bed-sit accommodation or a single room in shared accommodation.

Who isn’t eligible

Usually you won’t get Housing Benefit if:

• your savings are over £16,000 – unless you get Guarantee credit of Pension Credit
• you live in the home of a close relative
• you’re a full-time student – unless you’re disabled or have children
• you’re an asylum seeker or sponsored to be in the UK

If your circumstances change

Tell your local council if your circumstances change as this can affect how much you get.

For example, a child leaves school, your rent changes, you go away for more than 1 month.