Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction

You may need to claim Universal Credit instead of Housing Benefit

For most people of working age, unless you currently get Housing Benefit paid by Bradford Council, you will not be able to make a new Housing Benefit claim. Instead, you will need to claim Universal Credit to help with your rent.

Apply for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction now

Extra help for those in receipt of Council Tax Reduction who are classed as being of working age

To help you in the financial year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, an additional award will be made to your Council Tax account - this means you will have less Council Tax to pay. The maximum award will be £30.

There is no need to apply for this - it will be automatically credited to your account.

What is Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction?

• Housing Benefit - help with paying your rent
• Council Tax Reduction - help with paying your Council Tax.

How do I qualify?

To work out how much you may be entitled to we look at your:

• Household income
• Capital (such as bank and building society accounts, investments, cash, property)
• Personal circumstances (such as your age, who lives with you, whether anyone in your household has a disability)

How much Housing Benefit may I get?

Benefits calculators can help you find out about benefits and how they may be affected if your circumstances change, for example if you start work. Please see the gov.uk website for more information. 

How much Council Tax Reduction may I get?

The Council has amended the Council Tax Reduction scheme from 1 April 2018:

• if you or your partner are a pensioner, you may receive Council Tax Reduction for up to 100% of your Council Tax bill
• for all other working age, the maximum amount of Council Tax Reduction you may receive is 70% of a band A property charge. This means you will have to pay at least 30% of your Council Tax bill

For more details, you can read the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) regulations (PDF, 2 Mb). We know that the CTR regulations document is not fully accessible, and we will publish an accessible version as soon as possible. 

How are Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction paid?

Housing benefit is paid on certain dates by BACS (directly into your bank account) or by cheque.

Council Tax Reduction is given as a discount on your Council Tax bill.

Extra help?

In certain circumstances, the Council may be able to give you more help with your rent in the form of Discretionary Housing Payments.

I'm making an application - how do I send evidence to the council?

You can send supporting evidence for your Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction claim to us online.

Only use this form for submitting evidence. If you want to apply for Council Tax Reduction or Housing Benefit form, please use our application form. Other benefits forms can be found on our application forms webpage.

If you receive Housing benefit and you leave your property for 4 weeks or more, you may need to contact us

Staying WITHIN England, Scotland or Wales: if you are likely to be absent from your home for more than 13 weeks, contact us before you leave, giving the reasons.

Going OUTSIDE England, Scotland or Wales: if you are likely to be absent from your home for more than 4 weeks, contact us before you leave, giving the reasons.

Note: if you do not contact us in time, this could lead to you being overpaid and owing money back, or your benefit may even be cancelled. If cancelled, you may not be able to apply for Housing Benefit again, instead you will need to apply for Universal Credit.

What if I don't agree with the Council's decision about my Benefit or Reduction application?

Housing Benefit

You may appeal against the decision in writing, within 1 month of the date of decision. The appeal will be looked at by a Council officer who was not involved in making the original decision.

After this, if you still don't agree with our decision, you can appeal to Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service. You can read more information about Housing Benefits Appeals here.

Council Tax Reduction

You may appeal against the decision in writing, as soon as you can. The appeal will be looked at by a Council officer who was not involved in making the original decision.

After this, if you still don't agree with our decision, or if you do not hear from us within 2 calendar months, you may appeal to the valuation tribunal.