Housing Benefit
New - view your housing benefit account online
Housing Benefit helps you pay your rent if you are on a low income. It is sometimes called a "rent rebate" or "rent allowance". 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).
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 form notes![(PDF [108Kb] opens in new window)](/images/PDF.gif)
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.
Information
If you need more information, you can download the following leaflets:
On a low income? Need help paying your rent?
How to make a claim for Housing/Council Tax Benefit and Second Adult Rebate
View our full range of benefit leaflets.
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)
Fax
0151 225 2145
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.