Help with housing benefit 13 months explanation

Ben3377

Hi, I've recently just been told that housing benefit pay you over a 13 month period and not 12. I currently pay £60 a month towards the rent as the rent is £475 a month and I get £415 from housing benefit. I am just wondering if i still have to pay the £60 or will I get an extra payment on the 13 month? and if so does anyone know how much that will be and would i get the overpayment plus the £415 I'd normally get that month? Thank you, Ben.

Horseunderwater

This is what happens - U get 13 x £415 a year. Paid every 4 weeks.
You pay £60 top up x 12 a year, so yes you will have to pay the rent on its normal due day.

PasturesNew

Housing benefit is paid every 4 weeks, not every month. Over the course of a year this results in 13 payments (4x13=52).
If you top it up monthly by £60, then you only do that 12x a year to make it all balance by the end of the year.

Although, having said that, you'd need to check with a spreadsheet that the figures you quote are correct - and see for yourself how it works out over the year.

It can be confusing .... only way to really tell/know is to do it on a spreadsheet.... and check.

Ben3377

So does this mean there will be a payment of more than £415 on the 13th payment ? If so how much ? It's all just confused me as I was told that because they pay it over 13 months and not 12 that I shouldn't have to put the £60 towards it as the landlord would get the rest of the rent owed which would be £720 on the 13th payment, and I would get that £720 plus the £415 as it would start again.

atolaas

You will get 13 payments of £415 paid every 4 weeks. 2 of these payments will fall in the same month at some point during a 12 month period. So you will receive a total of £830 in 2 installments in 1 calender month of the year. Hope this helps explain things better.

nannytone_2

your total rent works out to £5,700 a year ( £475 x 12)
your HB works out at ££5,395 for the year ( £415 x 13) leaving a shortfall of £305 for the year, or a monthly payment of around £25.50 per calander month

Housing_Benefit_Officer

If you pay £60 per month then you will pay an additional £720 top up per year instead of £305 per year.