Changes to Housing Benefit Backdating Rules
Dramatic changes to Backdating rules
Dramatic changes to Housing Benefit(HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) Backdating rules are due to come into effect in October.
Currently, working age customers can have their entitlement backdated by up to 52 weeks, if they can show they had good cause for not applying earlier. Good cause includes such things as ill health, delays in receiving wage slips. Older people can receive a backdated payment of up to 12 months, provided they have reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit.
However, the Government plans to reduce the backdating of claims for all customers, to three months.
Customers who think they are entitled to more than three months backdated payment must put in their claim before October 2008. After October, customers must claim within the three month period to ensure they don’t lose any entitlement.
So, get your HB/CTB claims in quickly as you will still be liable for the rent even if you do not claim benefits.
Larraine Harris, Debt & Benefits Advisor