IS20 - A guide to Income Support

Your Income Support payment

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is a social security benefit which is administered by local councils. [Legislation (72)]

What Housing Benefit covers [Legislation (73)]
Housing Benefit is intended to help with the rent which you have to pay to live in your home. It does not cover day-to-day living expenses like food or heating. Nor does it cover mortgage repayments. You may be entitled to Housing Benefit even if you cannot get Income Support.Deductions are made from your CTB for non-dependants aged over 18 who normally live with you. There are four levels of deduction. If the non-dependant is working less than 16 hours a week, the lowest deduction will apply. If the non-dependant is doing paid work for 16 hours or more a week, the level of deduction will depend on the non-dependant’s gross income.

How to get Housing Benefit if you are getting Income Support
If you claim Income Support by telephone and want to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, these details will be taken at the same time. The printed statement will be sent to you for your signature and should be returned to Jobcentre Plus. Details about your claim to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will be sent to your local council by Jobcentre Plus for processing, go to Council Tax for more information.

When you apply for Income Support and are sent an application pack, form HCTB1 will be enclosed. Fill in form HCTB1 to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to help you pay your Council Tax. Go to Council Tax for more information. Send the form direct to your local council. You can find their address in the phone book. They will then work out if you are entitled to Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. Your council may contact you if they need more information.

If you get Income Support you will generally get help towards all of your eligible rent payments, provided they are reasonable, minus deductions for any non-dependants living with you. You may also get help towards 100% of your Council Tax payments. Go to Council Tax Benefit for more information. If you cannot get Income Support or you stop getting it, your local council may still be able to help with part of your housing costs. But you should apply directly to your local council for this help.

Housing Benefit Rapid Reclaim
Housing Benefit Rapid Reclaim is beneficial to people returning to benefit within 12 weeks of their last period on benefit. This will help those taking up short-term, temporary or casual work, and people who have had a break in their claim of up to 12 weeks for other reasons.

The claim form for Housing Benefit Rapid Reclaim is much shorter. When you apply for Income Support Rapid Reclaim, form HBRR1 is enclosed with your Income Support Rapid Reclaim application pack. Fill in form HBRR1 to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to help pay your Council Tax. Send the form direct to your local council. You can find their address in the phone book. They will then work out if you are entitled to Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. Your council may contact you if they need more information. For more information go to Housing Benefit Rapid Reclaim.

Change of address
If you change your address you should tell your Jobcentre Plus office or social security office, but you may not need to make a new application for Income Support. You should also tell your local council as you may need to make a new claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. If you do not need to make a new application for Income Support, ask for application pack NHBIA at your Jobcentre Plus office or social security office.

Payment of Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit may be paid, by the local council, directly into your bank account, by cheque or directly to your landlord. However, if you are a council tenant your Housing Benefit will be taken off the amount of rent you pay to the council. If you have questions about how much Housing Benefit you are being paid or you think the decision is wrong, you should write to your council.

For detailed information contact your local council or see RR2 A guide to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

People who live with you - non-dependants

People who normally share your accomodation but are not dependent on you for financial support are known as non-dependants. Others who live with you as a family and any children you have fostered do not count as non-dependants.

Non-dependant deductions

Any non-dependants who normally share your accommodation could affect the amount of HB and CTB you get whether or not you are also getting Income Support, income-based JSA or Pension Credit.

Shared accommodation does not include:

• a shared bathroom or lavatory; or
• a shared corridor or entrance; or
• communal areas in sheltered accommodation.

The following people do not count as non-dependants, whether they share accommodation or not:

• carers employed by a charity that charges for the service
• joint tenants
• subtenants
• boarders
• tenants of owner occupiers
• landlords/ladies and their partners.

They do not count as part of your household.

Non-dependants are people like grown-up sons or daughters and elderly relatives. If you have non-dependants living with you, your HB and CTB may be affected.

Council Tax
The Council Tax helps to pay for the services that local councils provide. Each council sets the level of the Council Tax for its own area. The amount payable will depend on the relative value of individual homes.

Discounts will be available where, for example, there is only one adult living in a house.

There will only be one Council Tax bill for each dwelling which will usually be payable by the owner-occupier or tenant, including council tenants.

Where there are joint owners or tenants, they will all be liable for the Council Tax regardless of whether the bill is sent to them in their joint names or to just one of them.

Council Tax Benefit
If you are on a low income and are liable to pay Council Tax you can claim help towards what you have to pay. This is called Council Tax Benefit. It is a social security benefit which is administered by the local authority. Council Tax Benefit is worked out in a similar way to Housing Benefit. It will normally be paid as a reduction (rebate) in the amount of Council Tax you have to pay. You may be able to get benefit up to a maximum of 100% of the charge minus deductions for any non-dependants living with you. If you get Income Support you will normally be entitled to the maximum help. [Legislation (90)]

How to claim Council Tax Benefit
If you claim Income Support by telephone and want to claim Council Tax Benefit, these details will be taken at the same time. The printed statement will be sent to you for your signature and should be returned to Jobcentre Plus. Details about your claim to Council Tax Benefit will be sent to the local council by Jobcentre Plus for processing.

You can claim Council Tax Benefit at the same time as applying for Income Support. When you apply for Income Support and are sent an application pack, form HCTB1 will be enclosed. If you are liable for Council Tax, you should complete this form and send it direct to your local council. They will then work out if you are entitled to Council Tax Benefit.

If you cannot get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or you stop getting either, the council may still be able to help with part of your Council Tax. You can get a claim form from your local council which you should fill in and return directly to them.

If you have a partner only one of you should claim Council Tax Benefit on behalf of both of you.

How Council Tax Benefit is paid
Council Tax Benefit will normally be paid as a reduction in the amount of Council Tax you have to pay. If you have any questions about how much Council Tax Benefit you are being paid or you wish to appeal against your Council Tax Benefit assessment, you should contact your local council.

Non-dependant deductions from CTB

Deductions are made from your CTB for non-dependants aged over 18 who normally live with you. There are four levels of deduction. If the non-dependant is working less than 16 hours a week, the lowest deduction will apply. If the non-dependant is doing paid work for 16 hours or more a week, the level of deduction will depend on the non-dependant's gross income.

A deduction will not be made from your CTB if:

• the non-dependants’ normal home is somewhere else
• you, or your partner, are registered blind or treated as blind or
• you, or your partner, are receiving the care component of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance in respect of yourself or your partner or
• the non-dependant is receiving Pension Credit, Income Support or income-based JSA
• the non-dependant is a prisoner or
• the non-dependant is severely mentally impaired or
• the non-dependant is over 18 but Child Benefit is still payable for them or
• the non-dependant is a student nurse or apprentice or on Youth Training or
• the non-dependant has been a patient in hospital for 52 weeks or more. If the non-dependant leaves hospital but is re-admitted to hospital within 28 days, their total number of days in hospital are added together or
• the non-dependant is living in a residential care or nursing home or
• the non-dependant is a care worker or
• the non-dependant is a resident of a hostel or night shelter for the homeless or
• the non-dependant is a full-time student (even if they work full-time in the summer vacation)

A deduction may be delayed for 26 weeks if you or your partner are aged 65 or more and a non-dependant moves into your home, or the non-dependants’ circumstances change to increase the deduction.

Second adult rebates
Second adult rebates will normally only be awarded to you if you are solely liable to pay the Council Tax and if you have a person living with you who is not your spouse / Civil Partner, does not pay you rent and does not have to pay the Council Tax. If you are liable for Council Tax you will be able to get either Council Tax Benefit on the basis of your own circumstances, or second adult rebate on the basis of the income of any second adult or adults living in your household. Where you are entitled to both rebates, the higher will be awarded.

In contrast to the main benefit, full-time students will not be excluded from getting second adult rebates, if they have other non-students living with them.

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