Extended payment of Housing Benefit is an extra four weeks of Housing Benefit to help pay your rent when certain other benefits stop because you're going back to work, working more hours or earning more money.
Who is eligible?
You may be able to claim extended payment of Housing Benefit if you or your partner or civil partner have stopped getting income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance because one of you is expecting to do one of the following for five weeks or more:
- return to work full-time
- work more hours
- earn more money
and you have been getting one of the following:
- Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support or both continuously for at least 26 weeks
or
- Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance continuously for at least 26 weeks
and
- you expect the work, increased hours or earnings to last for five weeks or more and you've not been getting Income Support
How much do you get?
Normally you'll get the same amount of Housing Benefit as you did before your income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance stopped.
How it's paid
It's paid in the same way you usually get your Housing Benefit.
How to apply
You must tell us and the Jobcentre Plus office that you or your partner or civil partner (if you have one) are about to or have started work, increased your hours of work or are earning more money. You must also tell them (within four weeks of the change) if the change is expected to last five weeks or more.
When your income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support stops because you start work or your circumstances change, your Jobcentre Plus or social security office will contact your local council and tell them you've stopped getting those benefits and how long you'd been getting them.