You could get Housing Benefit to help you pay your rent if you’re on a low income.

Housing Benefit can pay for part or all of your rent. How much you get depends on your income and circumstances.

You can apply for Housing Benefit whether you’re unemployed or working.

You may also be able to get help with your rent if your benefits stop.

Housing Benefit can't be paid for heating, hot water, energy or food - if you need help, use a benefits calculator to see what else you might be entitled to.

You may get help with all or part of your rent. There’s no set amount of Housing Benefit and what you get will depend on whether you rent privately or from a council.

Use a benefits calculator to work out what you could get or check what extra help is available.

Council and social housing rent

How much you get depends on:

• your ‘eligible’ rent
• if you have a spare room
• your household income - including benefits, pensions and savings (over £6,000)
• your circumstances - eg age of people in the house, if someone has a disability

Eligible rent

Eligible rent means the reasonable rent for a suitable property in your area. It includes service charges (eg for lift maintenance or a communal laundry) but not things like heating.

Spare bedrooms

Your Housing Benefit could be reduced if you live in council or social housing and have a spare bedroom. The reduction is:

• 14% of the ‘eligible rent’ for 1 spare bedroom
• 25% of the ‘eligible rent’ for 2 or more spare bedrooms

Example reduced housing benefit

Your eligible rent is £100 per week. Housing Benefit pays £50 and you pay £50. You have 1 spare bedroom so the reduction is 14%. This means your Housing Benefit will be reduced by £14 per week.

Sharing bedrooms

The following are expected to share:

• an adult couple
• 2 children under 16 of the same sex
• 2 children under 10 (regardless of sex)

The following can have their own bedroom:

• a single adult (16 or over)
• a child that would normally share but shared bedrooms are already taken, eg you’ve 3 children and 2 already share
• children who can't share because of a disability or medical condition
• a non-resident overnight carer for you or your partner (but only if they must stay overnight)

One spare bedroom is allowed for:

• an approved foster carer who is between placements but only for up to 52 weeks from the end of the last placement
• a newly approved foster carer for up to 52 weeks from the date of approval if no child is placed with them during that time

Rooms used by students and members of the armed or reserve forces will not be counted as ‘spare’ if they’re away and intend to return home.

Private rent

How much you get is usually based on:

• the Local Housing Allowance Limit in your area
• your income - including benefits, pensions and savings over £6,000)
• your circumstances

Exception

If you’ve been getting Housing Benefit since before 7 April 2008, these limits only apply if you:

• change address
• have a break in your claim for Housing Benefit

How you’re paid

Housing Benefit is paid by your local council as follows:

• council tenants - into your rent account (you won’t receive the money)
• private tenants - into your bank or building society account (rarely by cheque)

The benefit cap

The benefit cap limits the amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to 64 can get.

If you're affected, your Housing Benefit will go down to make sure that the total amount of benefit you get isn't more than the cap level.

You may get Housing Benefit if:

• you pay rent
• you’re on a low income or claiming benefits
• your savings are below a certain level - usually £16,000

You can apply if you’re employed or unemployed, but if you live with a partner, only one of you can get Housing Benefit.

If you’re single and under 35, you can only get Housing Benefit for bed-sit accommodation or a single room in shared accommodation.

Use a benefits calculator to check your eligibility or contact your local council.

Who isn’t eligible

Usually you won’t get Housing Benefit if:

• your savings are over £16,000 - unless you get Guarantee credit of Pension Credit
• you live in the home of a close relative
• you’re a full-time student - unless you’re disabled or have children
• you’re an asylum seeker or sponsored to be in the UK

If your circumstances change

Tell your local council if your circumstances change as this can affect how much you get.

For example, a child leaves school, your rent changes, you go away for more than 1 month.

The benefit cap puts a limit on the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to 64 can get. The benefit cap started to affect some local councils from 15 April 2013.

If you’re claiming other benefits

Contact Jobcentre Plus to claim Housing Benefit with your claim for the following benefits:

• Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance

Jobcentre Plus will send details of your claim for Housing Benefit to your local council.

Jobcentre Plus
Telephone: 0800 055 6688
Textphone: 0800 023 4888
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

If you're claiming Pension Credit

Contact the Pension Service to claim Housing Benefit with your claim for Pension Credit.

The Pension Service will send details of your claims for Housing Benefit to your local council.

Pension Service
Telephone: 0800 99 1234
Textphone: 0800 169 0133
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
Saturday, 9am to 1pm
Find out about call charges

If you’re not claiming other benefits

Get a Housing Benefit claim form from your local council or send them form HCTB1. The form comes with notes to help you fill it in.

What you need to know

You might also be able to get your claim backdated - ask your local council.

You can claim in advance by up to 13 weeks (or 17 weeks if you’re aged 60). For example, because you’re moving. You won’t usually get any money before you move.

Appeal a decision

You can ask your council for a Housing Benefit decision to be reconsidered.

If you’re unhappy with the response you can appeal the decision.

Extra help to pay the rent

You may also get extra help from your council called a 'discretionary housing payment' if your Housing Benefit doesn't cover your rent.

Help with heating costs

Check what help you can get with heating and energy costs.

Read about housing and heating costs.

If your benefits stop

Some benefits stop if you go back to work, work more hours or earn more money.

If this happens, you could get an extra 4 weeks of Housing Benefit to help you pay your rent. This is called Extended Payment of Housing Benefit. If you’re eligible your local council will contact you. You must have received certain benefits continuously for at least 26 weeks right up to the time when you went back work.

Once your extended payment ends, you might get ‘in-work Housing Benefit’.

How to apply

You don’t have to claim - your council will decide if you’re eligible for help and write and let you know.