Help paying your rent – Housing Benefit

We cannot usually start your claim before the date that we received it.  However, if you can show that there was 'good cause' for not making a claim earlier we will consider backdating.

We can only backdate your claim for a maximum period of 1 month for working age customers or 3 months for pensioners. 

Your claim cannot be backdated just because you did not know or did not think you were entitled to benefit, you must be able to show good cause.

Good cause reasons may include :

• Being in hospital or ill with no-one able to make a claim on your behalf
• Not understanding that you could claim due to age or language difficulties
• Suffering a family bereavement
• Receiving incorrect advice from a reliable source (eg. an advice centre)

The reason given must have existed throughout the backdate period and you must be able to provide proof of your circumstances, income and capital.

Make an application for backdated payment of benefits (PDF, 93KB).