The Period your claim will run for
The Start of your Claim
We can usually pay you from the date you request your claim form (as long as the form is received within one month from the date you requested it). Any entitlement will normally start from the Monday following this date, but in some circumstances different rules apply.
In certain circumstances we may able to pay your claim from an earlier date than the date your claim form was received. This is known as backdating and you will have to show good cause for not claiming earlier.
The end of your claim
You don't need to make a fresh claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit every year. We will contact you from time to time to check that the information we hold for you is correct.
We will also check information we hold against information held by the Department for Work and Pensions, Pension companies and employers.
- It is very important that you contact us if you have a change in your circumstances.
However, if you are not sure whether a change will affect your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit – tell us anyway.
If your entitlement to Benefit ceases for whatever reason, you will normally be paid up to and including the Sunday following the date entitlement ceased.


