Guidance

Housing Benefit adjudication circulars 2018

Adjudication circulars provide updates to the Housing Benefit guidance manual for local authority staff.

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published
16 January 2018
Last updated
3 April 2019 — See all updates

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

A8/2018 (Revised) Housing Benefit: Uprating 2019-20

Ref: A8/2018

HTML

A7/2018 (revised) Universal Credit full service areas: Guidance for local authorities

Ref: A7/2018

HTML

A6/2018: Housing Benefit operational information, performance support and engagement 2018/19

Ref: A6/2018

HTML

A5/2018: Verify Earnings and Pensions Alerts service

Ref: A5/2018

HTML

A4/2018 (revised): Short-term specified accommodation, new LA IT functionality requirement

Ref: A4/2018

HTML

A3/2018: Social Sec (Misc Amds No.4 and 5) Regs 2017, Social Sec and Child Support (Care Payments and Tenant Incentive Scheme) (Amd) Regs 2017, and Social Sec and Child Support (Reg and Insp of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016) (Cnsq Prov) Regs 2018

Ref: A3/2018

HTML

A2/2018: The Universal Credit (Miscellaneous Amendments, Saving and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2018

Ref: A2/2018

HTML

A1/2018: War Pensions uprating 2018/19

Ref: A1/2018

HTML

A6/2018: Housing Benefit operational information, performance support and engagement 2018/19

Ref: A6/2018

PDF, 107 KB, 5 pages

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A5/2018: Verify Earnings and Pensions Alerts service

Ref: A5/2018

PDF, 142 KB, 14 pages

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A4/2018 (revised): Short-term specified accommodation, new LA IT functionality requirement

Ref: A4/2018

PDF, 303 KB, 5 pages

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A3/2018: Social Sec (Misc Amds No.4 and 5) Regs 2017, Social Sec and Child Support (Care Payments and Tenant Incentive Scheme) (Amd) Regs 2017, and Social Sec and Child Support (Reg and Insp of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016) (Cnsq Prov) Regs 2018

Ref: A3/2018

PDF, 150 KB, 8 pages

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A2/2018: The Universal Credit (Miscellaneous Amendments, Saving and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2018

Ref: A2/2018

PDF, 151 KB, 9 pages

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A1/2018: War Pensions uprating 2018/19

Ref: A1/2018

PDF, 132 KB, 5 pages

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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.gsi.gov.uk.

Published 16 January 2018
Last updated 3 April 2019 + show all updates

  1. Published revised circular A4/2018 'Short-term specified accommodation – New LA IT functionality requirement' with a revision to the final bullet point in paragraph 8 on the definition of 'sort-term specified accommodation.

  2. Revised HB A8/2018. Revisions given under heading 'Revisions'.

  3. Removed entry in HB A8/2018 - Appendix B - Housing Benefit for people of State Pension age - under - Polygamous marriage - 'for the claimant and the other party of the marriage' and 'for each additional spouse who is a member of the same household as the claimant'.

  4. Revised HB A8/2018: Housing Benefit for people of State Pension Credit age 2019/20, appendix B - removed references to pensioners ages.

  5. Added non-social security payments and rates for 2019-2020 - Appendix E to the document A8/2018.

  6. Amended HB A8/2018: Housing Benefit - uprating 2019/2020 Appendix C/Annex2 Disability Premium - Single - correct rate is £34.35 Appendix D Personal Independence Payment Mobility Component Enhanced Rate correct rate is £61.20

  7. Added Housing Benefit adjudication circular A8/2018: Housing Benefit uprating 2019-20.

  8. Updated circular A7/2018 'Universal Credit full service areas: Guidance for local authorities' with revised guidance in paragraph 12 about new Housing benefit claims from people in temporary accommodation.

  9. Added circular A7/2018 Universal Credit full service areas: Guidance for local authorities.

  10. Revised HB Circular A3/2018. There is an error in the coming into force date for the Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 4) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/1015) given in paragraph 1. The amendments described in paragraphs 3 to 9 came into force on 17 November 2017. The other amendments contained in SI 2017/1015 which don’t affect the Housing Benefit regulations will come into force on 6 December 2018.

  11. Added Housing Benefit circular A6/2018: Housing Benefit operational information, performance support and engagement 2018/19.

  12. Add HB circular A5/2018: Verify Earnings and Pensions Alerts service.

  13. Replaced HB Circular A3/2018: The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments No.4) Regulations 2017, The Social Security and Child Support (Care Payments and Tenant Incentive Scheme) (Amendment) Regulations 2017, The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 5) Regulations 2017 and The Social Security and Child Support (Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016) (Consequential Provision) Regulations 2018.

  14. Added HB Circulars A3/2018: The Universal Credit (Miscellaneous Amendments, Saving and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2018 and A4/2018: Short-term specified accommodation, new LA IT functionality requirement.

  15. Added Housing Benefit Circular A2/2018: The Universal Credit (Miscellaneous Amendments, Saving and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2018.

  16. First published.

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