for people Housing of working and age Council Tax Benefit Help with Rent and Council Tax HOUSING BENEFIT SECOND ADULT REBATE COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT COUNCIL TAX RENT SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL
2 SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL
for people of working age We have written this leaflet for pensioners. In this leaflet a pensioner is anyone aged 60 and over. The rules for housing and council tax benefit are the same where ever you live. Details of how to contact us are on page 10 of this leaflet. What is housing benefit? If you are on a low income and need help to pay all or part of your rent you may be able to get housing benefit. What does housing benefit cover? It pays towards your rent but not any service charges such as gas, electric and water etc. For more details, if you are a private tenant please see our leaflet Guide to Local Housing Allowance for Private Tenants. What is council tax benefit? If you are on a low income and need help to pay your council tax bill you may be able to get council tax benefit. SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL 3
What is second adult rebate? It is help for people who share their house with another adult (not your partner or civil partner) who is unable to pay towards the council tax and is on a low income. Who can claim? You can claim housing benefit if you pay rent to a housing association or a private landlord and council tax benefit if you pay council tax on your home or both if you rent your home and pay council tax. If you have savings over 16,000 you will not be able to claim unless you receive Guarantee Pension Credit. What if I am a student? Most students will not get Housing or Council Tax Benefit. However there are some types of students who may get Housing Benefit if they are: - A single parent A couple with dependant children Disabled Getting Guarantee Pension Credit If you are a student and are not sure if you can claim please contact us. What if I have recently entered the country or have visa restrictions? If you or your partner (if you have one) have recently entered this country after living abroad or have restrictions on your passport please contact us for advice on whether you can claim. 4 SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL
How do I claim? You can claim by filling in one of our application forms. If you need help to fill in the form you can visit a One Stop Shop or make an appointment with a Community Benefit Officer at one of our one stop shops (to find out more about the community benefit officers please read our leaflet Community Benefit Officer ) Before you send the form to us make sure you have read it carefully and answered all the questions fully even those that you think do not apply to you. Check you have signed all the pages you need to and you have included all the evidence we ask for. You can get an application form by contacting us (see How to Contact Us on page 10) Once you have filled it in send it back to us as soon as possible. If you delay sending us your form you may lose benefit. If you claim Pension Credit you can make your claim through the Pension Service. You will need to tell the Pension Service that you want to claim housing and/or council tax benefit. (Details of how to contact us are on page 10 of this leaflet.) How do I claim Second Adult Rebate? You can claim by filling in one of our application forms. If you need help to fill in the form you can visit a One Stop Shop or make an appointment with a Community Benefit Officer at one of our one stop shops (to find out more about the community benefit officers please read our leaflet Community Benefit Officer ) SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL 5
The amount of second adult rebate you will receive will depend on the amount of income the other adult in your property has and the interest they get on their savings. You will not be entitled to council tax benefit AND second adult rebate but we will work out which gives you the most benefit. What do you need to work out my benefit? There are lots of types of documents that you need to provide with your application. If you do not have all we need do not wait to make your claim, you can send us any outstanding evidence as soon as it is available. You must provide original documents as photocopies are not accepted. You can take your documents to a one stop shop if you do not want to post them. We need to know: Your income and savings Your family circumstances, including details about who lives with you Details of the rent you are charged What evidence do I need to provide? National insurance number: We need to see one item of proof of your and your partner s (if you have one) national insurance number, some examples are: National Insurance number card P45 or P60 Pension Credit award letter A Department for Work and Pensions benefit award letter 6 SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL
Identity: We need to see two items of proof of your and your partner s (if you have one) identity, some examples are: Birth certificate or marriage certificate Passport or national identity card TV licence Utility bills such as gas, electricity, water etc Medical card Driving licence Income and Savings We need to see proof of all of your and your partner s (if you have one) income and savings. Wages - paid monthly last two pay slips, paid weekly last five payslips, paid fortnightly last three payslips or a certificate of earnings completed by your employer which we can send you. Self-employed - accounts for the last 12 months or; if your business has been running for less than a year we will ask you to complete a self employed questionnaire which we will send you. Private/works pension - the last two payment slips or 2 recent monthly bank statements. Other income - original documents showing this information. Savings - the last two months bank/building society statements, share certificates, National Savings Certificates etc. SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL 7
What about other people who live with me? We may reduce your housing and/ or council tax benefit if you have a child over the age of 18 who you do not receive child benefit for or other adults in your home who do not pay you rent. We will usually reduce your benefit by a fixed amount, which does not depend on what, if anything, they pay you but will depend on the amount of income they get. Please provide the same documents as listed on page 7 of this leaflet as proof of their income and savings. How will my Benefit be paid? Housing benefit will be paid directly into your bank account, if you do not have one we will advise you how to open an account or advise you on how else we can make payments. Council tax benefit and second adult rebate will be paid directly to your council tax account How long will you pay my benefit for? It will be paid until you are no longer entitled. 8 SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL
What happens if my circumstances change? You must tell us straight away and we will look at your claim again. Types of changes you must tell us about are: If you change address If your rent goes up or goes down People move in or out of your home Your income or savings, or that of another adult in your household, changes If you are on Pension Credit you must tell the Pension Service if your circumstances change. What if I do not agree with the decision you have made? For more details please see our leaflet What to do if you disagree with our decision Additional help with Council Tax We can reduce your council tax by: Discounts Exemptions Reductions for people with disabilities SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL 9
You can contact us: By writing: South Gloucestershire Benefits Service PO Box 1836 Yate South Gloucestershire BS37 5YU By Telephone: 01454 86 8002 By E-mail: HousingBenefit@southglos.gov.uk Visit our website: www.southglos.gov.uk Visit a one stop shop and speak to a customer service advisor: Kingswood One Stop Shop Civic Centre High Street Kingswood BS15 9TR Yate One Stop Shop Next to Yate Leisure Centre Kennedy Way Yate BS37 4DQ Thornbury One Stop Shop Main council offices Castle Street Thornbury BS35 1HF Community Benefit Officer Make an appointment with a community benefit officer, by contacting us by telephone or by visiting a one stop shop and speaking to a customer service advisor. Welfare Advice: Do you need advice on other Benefits, speak to our Welfare team by contacting us: By telephone: 01454 865245 Fax: 01454 863898 Type Talk Friendly E-mail: welfareadvice@southglos.gov.uk Debt Advice: Do you need help with debt or would like advice, speak to our debt advisor by contacting us: By telephone: 01454 864191 By fax: 01454 863898 Type Talk Friendly Independent Advice Pension Service: Telephone number: 0845 606 0265 Website: www.thepensionservice.gov.uk Shelter: Free housing advice line 0808 800 4444 Website: www.shelter.org.uk Citizens Advice Bureau: Telephone number: 0870 121 2019 Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk 10 SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL
SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL 11
Designed by Graphics & Mapping 4524/03/09 Design+Print 4706/09 CER-09-05