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Guidance

Housing Benefit subsidy circulars 2025

Subsidy circulars are about the money the government pays local authorities to administer Housing Benefit and other financial matters.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published:
20 March 2025
Last updated:
6 January 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added Housing Benefit circular S6/2025: Discretionary Housing Payment government contribution for Welsh local authorities for the financial year ending March 2027 

  2. Added Housing Benefit Circular S5 2025: Changes to Housing Benefit subsidy and overpayment subsidy calculator (appendix a).

  3. Added information about Tunbridge Wells Borough Council onto the S3/2025 Additional New Burdens funding to meet the costs of delivering Welfare Reform changes in the financial year ending March 2026 report.

  4. Added latest HB circular S4/2025: Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative funding for the financial year ending March 2026 for local authorities participating from 1 April 2025.

  5. Added Housing Benefit circular S3/2025: Additional New Burdens funding to meet the costs of delivering Welfare Reform changes in the financial year ending March 2026.

  6. Housing Benefit circular: S2/2025: Housing Benefit Administration Subsidy arrangements for English, Scottish and Welsh local authorities for the financial year ending March 2026 has been added to the page.

  7. First published.

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

S6/2025: Discretionary Housing Payment government contribution for Welsh local authorities for the financial year ending March 2027 

HTML

S5/2025: Changes to the Housing Benefit subsidy calculation for prior year overpayments

HTML

Appendix A: Prior Year Overpayment Subsidy Calculator

ODS, 5.64 KB

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S4/2025: Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative funding for the financial year ending March 2026 for local authorities participating from 1 April 2025

Ref: S4/2025

HTML

S1/2025: Rent Rebate Subsidy Limitation information for the financial year ending March 2026 (Wales only)

HTML

S3/2025: Additional New Burdens funding to meet the costs of delivering Welfare Reform changes in the financial year ending March 2026

Ref: HB S3/2025

HTML

S2/2025: Housing Benefit Administration Subsidy arrangements for English, Scottish and Welsh local authorities for the financial year ending March 2026

HTML

Details

Housing Benefit subsidy (S) circulars give information about:

  • the money the government pays local authorities in the form of a subsidy to administer Housing Benefit
  • other financial matters for local authority staff

For enquiries about the distribution of circulars, email: lawelfare.correspondence@dwp.gov.uk

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