Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

[sclegg]

Hi there,
Please can anyone clarify this 2 weeks in arrears policy?

When my entitlement to Housing Benefit ended, if it is paid 2 weeks in arrears, surely I am owed the 2 weeks once H/B entitlement ends. I am sure this is what has happened in the past.
However, my local Council are being extremely "vague" about it, saying "once entitlement ends so do payments."

Therefore, I would like to know exactly what this "2 weeks in arrears policy means" as they are saying that they do not owe me 2 weeks, however, when I began the claim and was entitled and the Council pay 2 weeks in arrears, surely I would receive that back, or otherwise, it means I have paid for 2 weeks rent at the start of my tenancy, when I was entitled to Housing Benefit.

Clarification on this "2 weeks in arrears housing benefit policy" would be extremely helpful before I appeal.

Thank You Kindly

S. Clegg

[Amethyst]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Okay this is just trying to work it out, I don't KNOW.... but the first payment you received from Housing Benefit should have covered those first two weeks of rent, it gets confusing as rent is normally payable in advance, and HB is paid in arrears. So basically you pay it and they pay you back.

So say you lived somewhere for 12 weeks and paid 4 weekly

Week 1 You don't get any money ---- You pay out for Week 1 /2/3/4
Week 2
Week 3 You get money for week 1 and 2
Week 4
Week 5 You get money for week 3 and 4 - You pay out for week 5/6/7/8
Week 6
Week 7 You get money for week 5 and 6
Week 8
Week 9 You get money for week 7 and 8 - You pay out for week 9 /10/11/12
Week 10
Week 11 You get money for week 9 and 10
Week 12 - tenancy/entitlement ends end of week 12 -
Week 13 You get money for week 11 and 12 - You don't pay anything

Does that make any sense whatsoever ? So you can see in that example they had all 12 weeks money from HB .... ( it might be at end of week 2 rather than week 3 you get paid, but hopefully you get the idea - if you go through statements you should be able to tally up payment in and payment out, remembering the payment in was for the previous payment out.

And this is why I'm not a benefits adviser... or mathematician... lol... [MENTION=48934]Debt Camel[/MENTION] / [MENTION=49370]Kati[/MENTION] maybe ?

[Kati]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

And this is why I'm not a benefits adviser... or mathematician... lol... @Debt Camel / @Kati maybe ?

well ... MY HB is paid monthly in arrears (and direct to the LL because I pleaded 'poverty' lol). I'll try and dig out the paperwork tonight if it'll help??

[Debt Camel]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Enjoy it while it lasts. Things get Kafkaesque when you switch to Universal Credit.

[Kati]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Enjoy it while it lasts. Things get Kafkaesque when you switch to Universal Credit.

do you have to REALLY do that

(UC is bad now (and can only get worse )

[warwick65]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Just to complicate things they always seem to start HB on the Monday after you make the claim

I believe I get my HB of the friday for that week and the precious week so for example next paymet is due 28th for the weeks commencing 17th and 24th although I have been on HB for so long now I forget. I know when they did stop it and i had to fight I think they missed a week but I was so tired of the 4 month battle I just let it be

[Amethyst]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Makes my head explode ... we did have HB for a while and as we rent from the council they always just paid themselves directly so I never got involved. Lucky escape by the sounds of it .

[Wylderose]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Most councils pay 4 weekly in arrears. I haven't heard of any that pay 2 weekly.

LHA - local housing allowance (Privately rented properties) are usually paid 4 weekly in arrears, as are Housing Association properties.
Council tenancies tend to be paid two weeks in arrears and two weeks in advance.

But if you give a few more details I may be able to clarify things for you.

1. Do you rent from a private landlord/housing association or are you in a council property
2. Is the rent paid to you or to your landlord
3. Are you on income based benefits (i.e. Income Support/JSA IB/ESA IR
4. Have you had a change of circumstances which meant that your benefits stopped and subsequently your housing benefit stopping too.

However, my local Council are being extremely "vague" about it, saying "once entitlement ends so do payments."

There are circumstances where this is not necessarily so. For example, if someone has been on long term income based benefits (26 weeks or more with no breaks in claim) and they start to work, and the work is expected to last for more than 5 weeks, they would be entitled to an extended pay period (4 week run on of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support). There is no requirement for the claimant to request the EPP

[warwick65]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Just to let you know my council pay two weekly and have done for as long as I can remember

I think it is when UC is rolled out that the 4 weekly gets involved

A quick google will tell you some councils will pay every week http://www.harrow.gov.uk/info/200205...g_benefit_paid

This from Brum explains dates as well https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/2...nefit_payments

[Wylderose]

Re: Housing benefit - paid 2 weeks in arrears

Thanks for the info Warwick - most of the councils I have worked for are 4 weekly payers. I thought those really frequent payment schemes went out long ago.

Universal credit is paid monthly - it was set up that way to try to mimic the way that the majority of the country gets paid and to break people out of the cycle of living from one benefit payment to another (i.e. child benefit to tax credits and JSA etc) but I have to admit that I am not a great fan of it because I see too many people really struggling to budget on it.