Your payment date
After we have assessed your claim for housing benefit or council tax support, we will send you a letter in the post.
We cannot answer any questions about your claim until we've finished the assessment and you receive our letter, so please do not phone or email us to ask.
If your claim is successful, the letter will tell you:
- the benefits you will receive
- how much of each benefit you will get
- the date you will receive your first housing benefit payment, if eligible
- the date that council tax support will be deducted from your council tax bill, if eligible
You can also check how much you'll get and when you'll be paid by using our online My Account council tax service. You can register for My Account if you've not used it before.
How you are paid
If you rent your property from us, your rent account will be credited with your housing benefit directly each week. Once your benefit has been assessed you will be sent a rent advice, which tells you how much you have to pay.
If you rent your property from a private landlord, benefit is usually paid into your bank account. This is done 2 weeks in arrears if you receive local housing allowance.
We will consider payment by cheque if you are unable to open a bank account.