Housing Benefit adjudication circulars 2017
Adjudication circulars provide updates to the Housing Benefit guidance manual for local authority staff.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Documents
Details
Adjudication circulars provide advice, guidance and information on Housing Benefit to local authority staff. They update the Housing Benefit guidance manual.
The circulars make many references to Council Tax Benefit as this was administered by local authorities alongside Housing Benefit until March 2013. In April 2013 Council Tax Benefit was replaced by local authorities’ own council tax support and reduction schemes, removing DWP’s involvement.
Readers will need to consider references to Council Tax Benefit in these documents accordingly.
For enquiries about the distribution of circulars, email: housing.correspondenceandpqs@dwp.gov.uk.
Last updated 18 May 2018 + show all updates
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Revised HB Circular A10/2017. On pages 9 and 12, the rates for non-dependant deductions, a reference to the rate for a non-dependant aged under 25 who is entitled to an award of UC calculated on the basis that the non-dependant has no earned income has been omitted. The rate for any non-dependants in this group is nil.
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Amended HB circular A10/2017. On page 15 - JSA rates for a couple both 18 or over stays at £114.85, after April 2018. On page 25 - Child Tax Credit for disabled child element increased from £3,175 to £3,275 – an increase of £100 (not £40). The severely disabled child element increased from £1,290 to £1,330 - an increase of £40 (not £15).
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Amended HB circular A10/2017. The April 2018 higher rate of permitted earnings on page 12 is £125.50 not £125.00.
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Amended HB circular A10/2017. The 2018 higher rate of permitted earnings on pages 10 and 12 is £125.50 not £120.00.
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Published Housing Benefit circular A10/2017: Housing Benefit: Uprating 2018-19.
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Added HB Circular A9/2017: The Social Security (Infected Blood and Thalidomide) Regulations 2017, The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (Consequential Amendment) Order 2017 and additional earnings disregard amendment.
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Added revised HB circular A7/2017. Amended guidance under headings: Optional RTI referrals’ (paras 23 to 35), and ‘Performance Monitoring’ (para 45). Added a new section ‘Optional RTI referrals – subsidy arrangements’, more Frequently Asked Questions and clarified our advice at Q7 and removed the original Q10.
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Added HB circular A8/2017: The Social Security (Emergency Funds) (Amendment) Regulations 2017.
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Added HB circular A5/2017:The Social Security (Restrictions on Amounts for Children and Qualifying Young Persons) Amendment Regulations 2017.
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Added Housing Benefit (HB) circular A7/2017: Right Benefit Initiative 2017/18.
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Added revised HB circular A3/2017. We've revised the guidance regarding ‘couple unable to share a bedroom' at paragraphs 16 to 18 and corresponding leaflets. Also, provided clarity to the description of the regulations in annex 1 and also 2 of the examples in annex 6.
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Added Housing Benefit (HB) circular A6/2015: The Pensions Act 2014 (Consequential, Supplementary and Incidental Amendments) Order 2017. HB Circular A5/2017 will be published in April.
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Added HB circular A4/2017: The ESA and UC (Misc Amendments and Transitional and Savings Provisions) Regs 2017 and The ESA and UC (Exempt Work and Hardship Amounts)(Amendment) Regs 2017.
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Added HB circular A2/2017: Housing Benefit operational information, performance support and engagement 2017/18 and HB circular A3/2017: The Housing Benefit and Universal Credit (Size Criteria) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2017 in relation to the Supreme Court decision of 9 November 2016.
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First published.