A Guide to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Reduction

If you pay rent to a landlord, you should apply for Universal Credit for help with your housing costs.

You can claim Housing Benefit if you are of State Pension Age or live in temporary or supported accommodation.

You can apply online here to claim Housing Benefit.

Housing Benefit entitlement will normally start from the Monday following your date of first contact with a designated authority (i.e. Council Offices, Department for Works and Pensions).

Anyone who has a liability to pay Council Tax can apply for Local Council Tax Reduction, even if you already get a discount on your Council Tax i.e. if you live alone.

You can claim even if you work and have a low income.

In some cases, even though you have a liability to pay council tax you would not be entitled to Local Council Tax Reduction. For example when someone:

• Has income which is too high to qualify
• A working age customer has capital or savings in excess of £6,000

To find out how to make a claim, click How to Claim below:

Please visit our On-Line resource on how to claim by following this link

Use the on-line calculator to estimate how much benefit you may be entitled to.

To find out what other benefits you may be entitled to, visit the Direct Gov website or call the benefits helpline number on 01543-464292.

Modified Housing Benefit Scheme
Disregards for War Disablement and Bereavement Pensions.
April 2024

Within the calculation of Housing Benefit entitlement, most incomes are included in the assessment, but some are disregarded.
The Council is given discretion by 134 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to disregard some or all of any prescribed war disablement pension or war widow’s pension (as defined in Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007)
Whereas statute defines that £10 per week of these must be disregarded in the assessment of a claimant’s income, for Housing Benefit purposes, Cannock Chase District Council resolves to disregard those incomes in full. This 100% disregard continues to support the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The incomes to be disregarded are;

(a) pensions under the Armed Forces Pensions and Compensation schemes (and similar payments for)
     • War disablement
     • War widows
     • War widowers
     • War bereaved civil partners

(b) payments compensating for non-payment of above

(c) equivalent payments from governments outside the UK

(d) pensions paid to the victims of Nazi persecution by the governments of Germany or Austria or by the government of the Netherlands.

The Council’s Chief Financial Officer is given delegated authority to update this policy with consequential changes in the event of changes to legislation regarding the payment of War Disablement and Bereavement Pensions, or their treatment within Housing Benefit legislation.