Housing and Council Tax Benefit - Extended Payments
Extended Payments
Your Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance may cease if you start a new job or the number of hours you work increases to 16 or more.
You may still be entitled to maximum Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit if you qualify for an Extended Payment.
Who can claim?
To be eligible for an extended payment you must be in receipt of:
- Income Support
- Jobseekers Allowance (Income Based)
- Incapacity Benefit
- Employment and Support Allowance (Income Based)
- Severe Disablement Allowance
which will cease when you or your partner start work or increase your hours or wages and you have been receiving the above benefits for at least 26 weeks continuously immediately prior to starting work:
- Periods of receipt of Jobseekers Allowance (Contribution Based) - JSA (C) or Employment and Support Allowance (Contribution based) will count towards the 26 weeks, but you must be in receipt of JSA (IB) or ESA (IB) at the point that either you or your partner start work or increase your hours and/or wages.
Additionally:
- Your new job or increase in hours and/or wages must be expected to last for at least five weeks.
- You must have a continuing rent and/or Council Tax liability and must have a liability immediately prior to Income Support or JSA (IB) ceasing.
What will I be entitled to if I qualify?
If you qualify, it means up to an extra four weeks of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit payable at the same rate you received whilst in receipt of benefit. It does not matter how much you earn.
If you move home during the extended payment period you may be paid a different rate.
Do I need to claim an extended payment?
You do not need to claim an extended payment, however in order for us to consider making an award we will need confirmation of:
- Your continuous entitlement to the qualifying benefits for 26 weeks or more and;
- That your employment will last for more than five weeks.
Can I still apply for housing and/or Council Tax Benefit?
You may still qualify for help with your rent and/or Council Tax after the extended payment period has finished. This will depend on your circumstances and how much you earn. For your claim to continue you will need to provide us with information regarding the amount you earn and how much capital you have.
To speed up the process and help us reassess your benefit as quickly as possible please provide us with 5 weekly, 3 Fortnightly or 2 monthly pay slips. If you have only just started work and have not received a wage slip yet, please use this link to a "Certificate of Earnings form" which needs to be completed by you and your employer and returned to us.
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