Housing Benefit
What's New?
view your housing benefit account online (this system is currently undergoing essential maintenance)
Important Benefit Changes from 2 November 2009
Changes to the way Housing and Council Tax Benefit is calculated mean that some people will be entitled to the benefit having not qualified in the past. Read on to find out whether you could be affected.
Changes for people receiving Child Benefit
From 2 November Child Benefit will no longer be counted as income when your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit is calculated.
For example, a family receiving child benefit for four children will have £59.60 a week ignored from their Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit calculation.
This is an important change meaning that many families who have previously not qualified for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit could now receive some help towards paying their rent or Council Tax.
Anyone who already receives Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit will automatically have their claim
re-calculated from 2nd November - you do not have to do anything.
Changes to Capital Thresholds for customers aged 60 and over
From 2 November the £6000 capital threshold will increase to £10,000. This means that when we are working out your entitlement to Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit we will not count your capital as income if you have a combined capital of £10,000 and under.
If you tried to claim Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit and were told that your total income, including assumed income from savings, was slightly too high, it is worth checking to find out whether you could now qualify.
Anyone who already receives Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit will automatically have their claims
re-calculated from 2nd November - you do not have to do anything.
You can find out whether you would now qualify for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit by:
-
Using our on-line calculator which will work out whether you qualify for any Housing or Council Tax Benefit, or
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Our Benefit Maximisation Service can carry out a full benefit check for you.
April 2009 Change
Local Housing Allowance and Large Households
From 6 April 2009, changes have been made to the way Housing Benefit under Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is calculated for large families.
What are the changes?
New claimants who make a claim for Housing Benefit on or after 6 April 2009 for a house consisting six or more bedrooms will only be entitled to an LHA rate of five bedrooms which will be the maximum payable.
- Existing claimants already in receipt of the LHA rate for six or more bedrooms will continue to receive that until their claim is reviewed (usually at the anniversary date of their claim), after which their claim will be re-assessed according to the five bedroom LHA rate for their area. However, for the first 26 weeks after the review (known as the transitions period), the LHA rate payable will be maintained at the higher rate that was paid to them before the review.
During the 26 weeks transition period, tenants will be able to exercise choice and look for alternative cheaper accommodation, or re-negotiate their rental contract.
Where there is a change in address, the claim will be reviewed and the appropriate five bedroom LHA rate of the new property will become payable.
Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit helps you pay your rent if you are on a low income. The amount of housing benefit due to you is worked out by looking at:
- how much money you have coming in
- your personal circumstances and the amount of rent you have to pay
- the amount of savings you have (more than £16,000 will normally disqualify you).
Try our benefit calculator to see what help you can get benefitscalc.liverpool.gov.uk/.
Who does the scheme apply to?
- anyone paying rent
- tenants living in council property, privately rented accommodation, hostels and housing association accommodation.
How do I apply?
To claim Housing Benefit you need to fill in an application form.
You can get an application form from your nearest One Stop Shop or Liverpool Direct Contact Centre. You can also download the application form by clicking on the link below. You can print it out, fill it in and return it to the address on the form.
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Download Housing Benefit Application form notes![(PDF [2.9Mb] opens in new window)](/images/PDF.gif)
Download Housing Benefit Application form
Download Housing Benefit Explanatory notes
Download Your Proof of Income form
Download Your Partner's Proof of Income form
If you want to make a claim or are not sure if you qualify contact us.
Remember:
- hand your application in as soon as you can
- provide all the supporting evidence, we cannot pay your benefit until we have seen all the evidence we have asked for
- use the same form to claim help towards Council Tax (Council Tax Benefit), free school meals and school clothing grants
- you won't get any benefit if you don't claim
10 Day Promise
If you provide us with a claim or details of a change in circumstances and all the evidence we need at any of our One Stop Shops we promise you will receive a letter from us letting you know how much benefit you will be entitled to within 10 days.
The 10 Day Promise rewards our customers who take their Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit claim form and all the evidence required to support their claim to one of the One Stop Shops by ensuring they are told about their claim within 10 days.
Book an appointment now with our One Stop Shops so that we can check your claim with you by calling 0151 233 3016.
The evidence that you need to provide with your claim form is proof of:
- National Insurance numbers for you and your partner
- Identity (two documents per person)
- Capital, savings and investments
- Earnings
- Other income
- Benefits, allowances or pensions, and
- Private rent and tenancy.
Please note that you must provide original documents, not copies. Please note that we cannot pay your benefit until we have seen all the proof we have asked for.
Start date
To make sure your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit starts from the earliest date possible, you should contact us as soon as you need benefit to tell us that you plan to claim. You can do this by:
- making an appointment to visit us at any of our one stop shops
- writing to us
- calling 0151 233 3009
- faxing 0151 225 2145, or
- sending an e-mail to benefits.service@liverpooldirectlimited.co.uk
We will then give you one calendar month to fill in and return your claim form and supporting documents.
Civil Partnership
Same-sex couples who form a civil partnership will have the same rights, responsibilities and duties as couples of the opposite sex. A civil partnership is a formal arrangement that gives same-sex partners the same legal status as a married couple.
Same-sex couples who do not form a civil partnership will be treated for Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit purposes in the same way as couples of the opposite sex.
Contact us
You can contact us in several ways:
Post
Liverpool City Council
Benefits Service
PO Box 13
Liverpool
L69 2JG
Telephone
0151 233 3009 (24 hours)
Email
benefits.service@liverpooldirectlimited.co.uk
In person
You can visit us at any of our one stop shops.
Appointments are required for all Benefit enquiries. You can make an appointment by calling 0151 233 3016.
The last appointment is half an hour before closing.
Facilities
Facilities are available for the hearing impaired, including mini loop and staff trained in British sign language. If English is not your first language we will arrange for a translation into another language.