Housing and Council Tax Benefit

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are Government schemes to help people on low incomes meet their rent and council tax bills. Housing and Council Tax Benefit are administered by Reading Borough Council.

We want to provide a speedy and accurate service and make it easy for you to enquire about benefits.

We aim to make a decision on your benefit within an average of 22 days when you make a new claim. When you tell us about changes that affect your benefit we aim to make those changes within 8 days of you telling us about them.

In February 2010 we made decisions on new claims in an average 16 days. We made changes in an average 7 days.

Changes to Benefits from 2 November 2009

• Child benefit will no longer be counted as income when calculating your housing and council tax benefit. This change may mean that many families who have not qualified in the past may now receive some help towards their rent and council tax.
• The lower capital threshold for pension age claims (those aged 60 or over) will increase to £10,000. This means that the first £10,000 of your capital will be ignored when we calculate your housing and council tax benefit entitlement.

Article		Description
	Council Tax Benefit	A means tested benefit to help towards the cost of your Council Tax
	Housing Benefit	Means tested benefit to help with the cost of paying for rented accommodation
	Will Housing Benefit cover all the Rent?	Information on the level of housing benefit you can claim
	Benefits for People Aged 60 and Over	Pension Credit is an entitlement for people aged 60 and over
	Child Care Costs	Information about the effect of childcare costs on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
	Discretionary Housing Payments	Discretionary Housing Payments may be payable for some people who do not get full Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit
	Housing and Council Tax Benefit Appeals	If you think a decision regarding Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit is wrong you can ask for more information, and in some circumstances to appeal
	Housing Benefit and students	An explanation of the Housing Benefit rules relating to students
	Housing Benefit Before You Move In	In some circumstances Housing Benefit can be paid prior to the date someone actually moved in
	How is Housing Benefit Paid?	Housing Benefit is a national benefit to help people on low incomes pay their rent
	Fraud Watch	What to do if you suspect that Benefit fraud is being committed
	How to Claim Housing Benefit	Advice on how to claim Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit
	Non Dependants	Information about non dependants and their impact on Housing and Council Tax Benefit
	Overpaid Housing and Council Tax Benefit	Information about overpayments and how we recover the money
	People who are not entitled to Housing Benefit	Some groups are not eligible for Housing Benefit, even if you are not entitled to Housing Benefit you can, if liable, apply for Council Tax Benefit
	Reporting Changes	If you receive or have claimed Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit you must tell the Benefit Office about changes to your circumstances
	Temporary Absence From Home	Information about the rules relating to absences from your home
	Hospital Stays: Council Tax and Housing Benefits	Information about how a stay in hospital can affect your entitlement benefits.
	Backdating (For Those Aged Under 60)	Information about backdating benefit claim
	Local Housing Allowance	The new way of calculating and paying rent for Housing Benefit when you rent from a Private Landlord or Agency