Can I still get Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit (or both) if I am absent from my home?
We can usually only pay Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit (or both) if you are living in your home.
However, we can still pay Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit (or both) if you are temporarily absent from your home.
Depending on the reason why you are absent, we can pay Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit (or both) for up to 13 weeks, or 52 weeks in special circumstances.
What do we mean by temporarily absent?
·You must plan to return to live in the property.
·The part of the property you normally live in must not have been relet or sublet to someone else.
·You must not be absent for more than 13 or 52 weeks (see below).
Absences up to 13 weeks
We can continue to pay you Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for temporary absences of up to 13 weeks.
However, you must let us know if any of your income is affected by your absence, for example, if Income Support stops, as this is a change in your circumstances that will affect your entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
If you are likely to be absent for more than a month, you should let us know in case we write to you about your benefit while you are away. If you are absent, or are likely to be absent for more than 13 weeks, you must tell us before you leave.
You will not qualify for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit if you are going to be absent for 13 or more weeks, unless there are special circumstances.
Absences up to 52 weeks
We can continue to pay you Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for temporary absences of up to 52 weeks in special circumstances. These include the following.
·A prisoner on remand
·In a bail hostel, or bailed to lived away from home
·In a care home or independent hospital, for example, for respite care
·In hospital, or receiving medically approved care
·Receiving medical treatment or medically approved care, or absent because your partner or child is receiving this
·Providing medically approved care
·Providing care for a child whose parent or guardian is receiving medical treatment or medically approved care
·Following an approved government training course (please ask for more details)
·Certain students who are eligible for Housing Benefit
·Absent due to fear of violence
(Medically approved care must be confirmed by a medical practitioner, for example, your doctor or a nurse.) If you are going to be absent for more than 52 weeks, but not for much longer than that, we can, in exceptional circumstances, still pay you Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for up to 52 weeks.
Absence due to a trial period in a care home
We can also continue to pay you Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for absences of up to 13 weeks for trial periods in care homes, as long as you plan to return to your normal home if the care home is not suitable for your needs.
What happens if my circumstances change?
If there is a change in your circumstances, which means that you no longer plan to return to your home, we will end your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for your previous home. This will not affect any benefit we pay while you still plan to return to the property.
(Please see our leaflet called ‘Benefit entitlement for a former home’ if you have to give your landlord notice to give up a tenancy on a previous home.)
If you need to let us know you are going to be temporarily absent from your home, please write to us at:
Revenue Services
PO Box 355
Hounslow
TW3 4PJ.
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Revenues Services offices:
The Civic Centre
Lampton Road
Hounslow
St Catherine’s House
2 Hanworth Road
Feltham
Chiswick Town Hall
Heathfield Terrace
Chiswick
All our offices are open from 8.45am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and from 8.45am to 4.45pm on Fridays.
Phone: 020 8583 4242
Phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and from 8.45am to 4.45pm on Fridays.