The benefits that you can get will depend on your individual circumstances. Listed below are some of the main benefits you may be entitled to:
Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit are payments which can help you pay your rent and Council Tax if you are on a low income.
You may be entitled to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit if you are:
responsible for rent and/or Council Tax; and
on a low income with savings and capital of less than £16,000.
These are both means tested benefits and are claimed from the Local Authority.
Housing and Council Tax Benefit will not cover your mortgage but you may be able to get help with this if you are on Pension Credit, Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers Allowance or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance.
If you have savings over £16,000 and are under the qualifying age for Pension Credit, you will not be able to claim either of these benefits.
Please note : special rules apply if you are over the Pension Credit qualifying age.
For more information about this, please visit our ‘Benefits – Age 60 plus’ under ‘related pages’.
You can claim these benefits whether you are working or not. To make a claim you will need to show us proof of your income and the income of any other adults living in your home. This includes grown up children unless they are higher education students.
You will have one month to provide us with this information so we can decide on your entitlement.
In some cases you may be able to get your benefit backdated but you will have to show us good reasons for this such as ill health or bereavement.
Local Housing Allowance
If you're a private tenant you may find that the amount of rent that we can take into account for your Housing Benefit is less than what your rent is. The rent amount may be restricted, this is called Local Housing Allowance (LHA) and it applies to private tenants making a new claim or breaking their existing claim after 7 April 2008.
Local Housing Allowance allows a maximum rent depending upon where you live and the size of your home. To check the current maximum rent rates please see ‘Local housing allowance rates’ under ‘related pages’.
From April 2011 these allowances have been restricted further so get advice before signing a tenancy agreement.
For more information on Housing and Council Tax Benefits, visit the Directgov website available on this page under external links.
Tax Credits
Tax credits are payments from the government. If you're responsible for at least one child or young person, you may qualify for Child Tax Credit. If you work but are on a low income, you may qualify for Working Tax Credit. You can often get both types of tax credits.
You may be entitled to Working Tax Credit if you work at least 16 hours a week and you are:
aged 16 or over and responsible for at least one child; or
aged 16 or over and disabled; or
aged 25 or over and usually work at least 30 hours a week
Please note, special rules apply if you are aged 50 or over and work at least 16 hours a week.
From April 2011, people aged 60 and over who work 16 hours a week will qualify for Working Tax Credit.
Child Tax Credit can be claimed if you have at least one dependant child:
up to age 16; or
up to age 20 and still in full time education or unwaged training of at least 12 hours per week and the course being studied is no higher than A levels.
Tax Credits are means tested and paid by HM Revenues and Customs but the means test is more generous than for most other benefits. This means you can still receive the basic amount even if you are on quite a high level of income.
For more information on Tax Credits, visit the HM Revenues and Customs website available on this page under external links.
NHS Health Benefits
Most National Health Service (NHS) treatment is free but there can be charges for some things. You may be able to get help with NHS health costs if for example you're on a low income.
You and your partner may be entitled to Health Benefits if you:
are on a low income;
do not have savings over £16,000; and
need help with prescription costs, dental or optician fees, travelling to hospital or for surgical aids.
You may also qualify for other reasons such as your age, certain named health conditions, pregnancy or if you are responsible for a child under 12 months of age. The savings and low income rules do not apply in these cases.
You may also qualify for help with NHS costs, if you're receiving working tax credit or child tax credit over a certain amount.
The benefits and tax credits that you may be entitled to will depend upon your circumstances.
If you are not sure about anything you should always seek advice. You can call us on our public helpline number on 020 8583 5016.