Backdating Claims
When can you pay my benefit from?
If you qualify for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit we usually pay it from the Monday after we get your claim or the Monday after your application form was issued, if received within one month. Sometimes we can pay benefit before the date you claim. This is called 'backdating' your claim.
The law says that we can backdate a claim for up to three months automatically if you are of pensionable age. If you are working age and make your request in writing, we may be able to backdate your claim for up to six months if you can prove you have good reason for not claiming sooner.
This is known as 'good cause'. Good cause must be continuous for the period you want benefit backdated.
What do you mean by 'good cause'?
Good causes include the following:
- If you were ill and had no-one to make the claim for you.
- If you could not reasonably have been expected to know your
rights, for example, where there have been changes in the
law.
- If you did not understand that you could claim, perhaps because of:
- age;
- inexperience;
- language difficulties;
- difficulty in understanding technical documents; or some other reason.
- If you were wrongly advised by an official organisation that you were not entitled to Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.
- If you were unable to manage your affairs and did not have an
'appointee' or someone to help you.
What should I do if I think I have 'good cause' for my late claim?
If you think you have 'good cause' for making a late claim, you should:
- make sure you fill in a claim form for the period in question, and supply all the evidence about your income as soon as possible; and
- send the claim form to us, along with a letter which asks us to backdate your claim.
You need to tell us the period you want it backdated for, and give full details of why your claim is late. We will then consider whether we can backdate your benefit.
What can I do if I don't agree with your decision?
If you don't agree with our decision, you can ask us to look at it again. Please see our page about Disputes and Appeals for more information.
Where can I get help?
Staff in our Benefits Department are happy to help with any query you have. You can reach us online, by e-mail, post or telephone:
Or, you could contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
More information
For more information you can download our leaflet Can you backdate my Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (PDF, 326KB).