Welfare Benefits Help & Advice

 

We want to help you maximise your income and benefits entitlement and make sure you are in the very best position to pay your rent and other bills. We can signpost you to apply for all types of welfare benefits, offering you specialist help and advice. Here we outline the various benefits you might be entitled to but if you want to find out more, about the benefits and financial support on offer, please visit the Government’s website here. You can also see what you could be entitled to and how to make a claim, by using a Benefits Calculator.

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is usually triggered by a change in circumstances. It replaces a number of benefits for working age new claimants and families and some existing claimants and families. Through Universal Credit, you are paid all your benefits monthly, including an amount for your rent. You need to budget for all your household expenses and pay your rent in full, to Arcon. If you are working and your income varies, you can still make a claim. Find out more about Universal Credit by visiting the Government’s website here.

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is provided by local councils to help people, on low incomes, pay their rent. If you think you might qualify for Housing Benefit, you should contact your local council. You can find contact details here. To make a claim, you will need to fill in a Housing Benefit form and we will be happy to help you with this.  The same claim will be used to calculate any Council Tax Support that you are entitled to.

Housing Benefit is assessed taking the whole household’s income into account so if other working age residents in your home have incomes, you will get less Housing Benefit and pay more rent. Your Housing Benefit will be reduced by 14%, if you have an extra bedroom and by a maximum of 25%, if you have two or more extra bedrooms. 

Council Tax Support

All working age households have to pay some Council Tax, to their local councils. The minimum to be paid is usually around 15% of the Council Tax bill but it can be more.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP)

You might be able to apply, to the Housing Benefit Department, for some extra money, on a temporary basis. If you would like some advice, over eligibility for Discretionary Housing Payments, you should initially contact our Customer Hub on 0161 214 4120.

Carers and Disability Benefits

These benefits include Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Carer’s Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). To find out more and see if you are eligible for these and other related benefits, please visit the Government’s website here.

Benefit Cap

If your household gets a total of more than £20,000 a year, in benefits (£13,400 for single households), you may be subject to the Benefit Cap and have the amount you receive reduced, meaning you will have to pay more rent to Arcon.