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Find out what benefits you could get, how much you could get and how to claim

Housing Benefit or Local Housing Allowance (LHA) - rates, eligibility, claim form, calculator, appeals, 'Discretionary Housing Payment'.

• Eligibility

  Housing Benefit can help you pay your rent if you’re unemployed, on a low…

• What you'll get

  You may get help with all or part of your rent. There’s no set amount of…

• Supporting your claim

  You’ll need to provide some information and evidence to support your claim…

• How to claim

  Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit. Most people will…

• Report a change of circumstances

  You need to report a change of circumstances for you and anyone else in…

• Other help with housing costs

  Housing Benefit will not cover heating, hot water, energy or food. If you…

What happens to benefits if you or someone in your family goes to prison or is on remand.

• Overview

  Benefit payments and entitlement may change or stop if you, your partner…

• Benefits that stop or are suspended

  You cannot get benefits if you go to prison, apart from: the housing…

• Universal Credit

  You will not get the Universal Credit standard allowance if you’re in…

• Housing Benefit

  You may be able to continue getting Housing Benefit or make a claim for…

• Council Tax exemption and reduction

  You will not count as an adult living in a property for Council Tax if…

• Child Benefit

  You can continue to claim Child Benefit when you’re in prison if: your…

• Support for Mortgage Interest

  Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) is no longer a benefit. It’s now only…

Universal Credit is replacing 6 other benefits with a single monthly payment if you're out of work or on a low income - eligibility, how to prepare.

Quarterly statistics on Housing Benefit entitlement reductions identified by local authorities as a proportion of expected reductions.

• Updated: 27 July 2016

Quarterly statistics on Housing Benefit entitlement reductions identified by local authorities as a proportion of expected reductions.

• Updated: 1 February 2017

Appeal to the independent Social Security and Child Support tribunal about a benefit decision: what happens at the hearing, getting a decision, if you do not agree

Guidance on getting extra payments to help with the cost of living from 2022 to 2024 if you were entitled to certain benefits or tax credits.

• Updated: 14 January 2026

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) money if you cannot work because of illness or disability - rates, eligibility, apply, assessment.

There is a limit on the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to under State Pension age can get - benefits affected, benefit cap amount.