Housing benefit and universal credit

Deano777

Hi,
I’m really confused and need some help please.

At the moment we are not on universal credits. We are on income support, carers, child tax credits and I’m on the higher rate of care for pip.

Unfortunately we were not aware we could claim housing benefit and have been really struggling to pay it but we have along with council tax.

My question is can we just claim housing benefit? Or would we have to claim universal credits? I’m just really worried about the wait for the first payment and any stress makes my condition a lot worse.
Thanks in advance.

calcotti

Unless you get a Severe Disability Premium in your IS (which will only be the case if all the adults in your family have a disability benefit) you cannot claim Housing Benefit. If you want help with your rent you will have to claim Universal Credit which will end your Tax Credits and your IS.

If you claim UC there will normally be a 5 week wait for your first payment. You can request an advance but this has to be paid back over the next 12 months which reduces your future payments.

Bear in mind that you will continue to receive the Carer’s Allowance and PIP while waiting for your UC payment.

You should also be claiming Council Tax Reduction from your local authority to help pay your Council Tax. You can do this anyway - it is separate from UC.

It would be sensible to do a benefits comparison by going to a local advice agency or using an online calculator https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

If you have a health condition that limits your ability to work I recommend you get a Fit Note from your GP to support your UC claim. You can then have a Work Capability Assessment. If this resulted in you being found to have Limited Capability for Work and a Work Related Activity this would increase your UC from the fourth month.

Deano777

Thank you for your prompt reply