Liverpool City Council proof we need to see

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What items of proof do I need to provide?

To work out your benefit we need to see proof of seven main things about you and your partner.

Identity
National Insurance Numbers
Income
Rent Paid
State Benefits
Capital
Non Dependants & household members

Only original documents can be accepted as proof, we do not accept photocopies. If you send in your documents we will photocopy and return them to you as soon as possible. If you prefer, you may bring your documents to one of our One Stop Shops and a member of staff will be happy to copy and verify them for you. Please remember to put your name and address on any documents that you post in to us.

You can help us to work out your benefit quickly by providing all the required proof in one go. However, if you cannot send the proof we need at the moment don't delay your claim, send the form back to us now and send the proof later. We can start to process your claim, but will not be able to pay you any benefit until we have all the necessary proof.

Proof of Identity
It is necessary to confirm you and your partners identity. We need to see at least two of these documents for each person. You do not have to provide this is you receive Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance.

UK passport (this must be current and valid)
driving licence (photo-card only)
UK residence permit
certificate of employment in HM forces
birth certificate
Marriage certificate
Recent paid household bills in your name
Bank or Building Society Statements
Divorce or annulment papers
Police registration document
National Insurance number card
Medical card, or
EU identity card

These items are listed on page 21 of the application form.

Remember: All documents must be originals photocopies will not be accepted

National Insurance Numbers

Part 1b of the application form asks for your National Insurance number. The number is issued to you by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) and is made up of a series of letters and numbers. Acceptable proof of National Insurance numbers includes:

National Insurance Card
Recent P60s (annual tax statement)
P45s (given to you when you leave a job)
Benefit Award Letters
Benefit Payment books, or
Wage slips/salary slips

You can reduce the number of documents you have to give us if your proof of identity documents shows your National Insurance numbers e.g. Benefit Payment Book and National Insurance Number Card.

Remember: All documents must be originals photocopies will not be accepted

Income

If you are on Income Support or Income Based Job Seeker's Allowance we have to get proof from the Benefits Agency (DSS). We cannot accept proof from you, but will contact the Benefit Agency automatically. If you have moved recently you must tell the DSS or they will give us the wrong address and that will delay your claim.

If you are not on Income Support or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance we need to see proof of all the income received by you and your partner.

Wages/Salary

The following are all acceptable as evidence:

The last 5 weekly or 2 monthly payslips for each job you and your partner have
A certificate of earnings, which must have the declaration, signed by the employer
A letter from your employer

Each of the above must include:

Name and address of the employer
Number of hours worked and for what period
Gross income for the year to date and the period covered
Any Income Tax deducted for the year to date and the period covered
Any National Insurance contributions deducted for the year to date and the period covered
Any occupational or personal pension contributions deducted, if relevant
Any details of overtime bonuses or commission paid
Any details of statutory sick pay or maternity pay

Self Employed Income

If the business is more than 12 months old:
We need to see a copy of your or your partner's profit and loss account or most recent business accounts for the last 12 months. Copies of accounts must include proof of all expenses, a letter from the Inland revenue confirming income tax and national insurance contributions and a letter from the firm that runs your personal pension scheme showing contributions made.
If the business is less than 12 months old:
Please phone 233 3009 and ask for a certificate of Self Employed income.
Remember: All documents must be originals photocopies will not be accepted

Rent Paid

If you are claiming Housing Benefit as a private tenant, we need to see proof of the rent you pay and if it includes money for services such as heating, lighting, hot water and water rates. Housing Benefit does not pay for these services, so if your rent includes a charge for them you will not have all your rent covered by Housing Benefit.

A copy of your tenancy agreement will usually be all we need. If you do not have a formal agreement we will need to see a letter from your Landlord or their Agent, or a Rent Book.

The letter or Rent Book must be signed and dated by your Landlord or their Agent and show:

your name and address
the date the agreement started
the total amount of rent that you pay
a breakdown of the amounts paid for services in your rent e.g. heating, hot water, lighting etc. and,
the name and address of your landlord or their Agent.

Remember: All documents must be originals photocopies will not be accepted

State Benefits

Order books, recent award letters or bank statement (these most cover the last two months and show all credits and debits) are needed for the following income.

Attendance Allowance
State Retirement Pension
Widow's Benefit
Jobseeker's Allowance
Youth Training Schemes
Invalid Care Allowance
Income Support
War Widow's Pension
War Disablement Pension
Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit
Incapacity Benefit
Maternity Allowance

PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN YOUR BENEFIT ORDER BOOK BY POST

You may bring your documents to our customer counter, where a member of staff will be happy to copy and verify them for you.

Remember: All documents must be originals photocopies will not be accepted

Capital

We need to see the following:

Current bank/ building society statements: These must cover the last two months and show all credits and debits. A letter from your bank/ building society showing this information is also acceptable. We cannot accept balance slips. If you bank via the Internet you can provide screen prints showing all transactions for the last 2 months
Post Office Accounts up to date book
Certificates for Premium bonds
National Savings certificates
Stocks, shares or unit trusts, PEPS, ISA, Tessa's etc: certificates, dividend statements
Proof of any interest of dividends you get on Investments and savings

Remember: All documents must be originals photocopies will not be accepted

Non Dependants & household members

Proof of other people living with you (Non-Dependants)
You must provide proof of the amount and type of income they receive. The same level of proof is required for non-dependants as for you.
Proof of Dependant Children
You must provide your child benefit award letter, bank statement (covering the last two months and show all credits and debits) or your child benefit book to one of our one Stop Shops.

DO NOT SEND IN YOUR CHILD BENEFIT ORDER BOOK BY POST

Remember: All documents must be originals photocopies will not be accepted

Please note
When sending in documents or letters please ensure that your name, address and reference number (if known) are clearly written in black ink.

Information

For further information you can download the following leaflets:

'On a low income? Need help paying your rent?'n a low income? Need help paying your rent?' (PDF [97.9Kb] opens in new window)