Housing benefit while away from home
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. Get advice relating to Scotland
Sometimes, you can’t avoid being away from home. So long as you intend to come back to your home, you can continue to get housing benefit, usually for up to 13 weeks. In certain circumstances you may be able to get housing benefit for up to 52 weeks.
Housing benefit while away from home
You can get housing benefit if you are away from home for up to 13 weeks, as long as you intend to come back to your home and you are not likely to be away any longer. If you return to your home, maybe even for a day and then go away again, the 13 week period could start afresh.
In the other circumstances listed on this page, you may be able to get payments for up to 52 weeks, providing you intend to return to your home.
Admitted to hospital
Housing benefit can be paid for up to 52 weeks if you are a hospital in-patient, and you expect to return home within 52 weeks. If it turns out you will be in hospital for more than a year, you can be paid housing benefit up to the point that you no longer expected to return home in under 52 weeks.
If you are discharged, then re-admitted at a later date, another 52 week period starts.
If your partner is admitted to hospital, after 52 weeks your housing benefit will be reassessed and will be recalculated as if you are single.
If you (or your partner) are receiving disability living allowance or attendance allowance, these benefits stop after four weeks in hospital and your housing benefit may be reduced.
Similarly, income support, income-related jobseeker’s allowance, income related employment and support allowance, or pension credit may be reduced or stopped after continuous stays in hospital of one month or 52 weeks. A new claim for housing benefit should be made if these benefits stop.
Care home resident
If you are staying in a care home, away from your home, you may be able to get housing benefit for your own home for up to 52 weeks while you are away, so long as you intend to return home.
If you are in a care home on a trial basis, you can get housing benefit for up to 13 weeks. If the home doesn’t meet your needs, you can have trial periods in other homes, up to a maximum continuous period of 52 weeks.
Caring for others away from home
You can get housing benefit for up to 52 weeks if you are away from home because you are:
- providing someone with care that has been approved by a doctor or other health practitioner, or
- looking after a child because the child's parent or guardian is receiving care that has been approved by a doctor or other health practitioner.
In prison or on remand
If you are on remand (being held in custody before your trial or sentencing) or have to stay away from home as a condition of bail, you can continue to get housing benefit on your home for up to 52 weeks.
If you are sentenced and will be detained in prison for more than 13 weeks (including the time spent on remand), you will not be entitled to any housing benefit from the date you were sentenced. It is not the length of your sentence that matters but the actual length of time you will expect to serve. Find out more about housing benefit for prisoners.
Students eligible for housing benefit
Most students are not eligible for housing benefit. However, if you are a student who gets housing benefit and you need to be away from your home, you may be able to get housing benefit for that home for up to 52 weeks. Seek advice – this is a rare situation.
You may be able to get housing benefit for up to 52 weeks if you are on certain government training courses, providing you don’t pay rent on your usual home.
Fleeing violence
Providing you intend to return home, you can get housing benefit for up to 52 weeks if you are absent from your home because of:
- fear of violence in that home, or
- fear of violence from a former family member.
If you do not intend to return home you can only get housing benefit for up to four weeks.
You may also be able to claim housing benefit for the accommodation you are staying in while you are away from home. Find out more about housing benefit for two homes.
What about council tax benefit?
There are different rules about being away from home for council tax benefit. In most local authorities, housing benefit and council tax benefit are worked out at the same time by the same staff.
Seek advice if you find your council tax benefit stops due to an absence from home. It may be that it should not have stopped, even though your housing benefit should have. In some circumstances, you may not need to pay council tax at all while you are away from home.
Where can I get help and advice?
You don’t have to tell the council that you will be temporarily absent for short periods. However, longer absences may count as a change in circumstances that you should tell the housing benefit department about.
If you are going to be away from home and you are not sure whether you will be entitled to housing benefit, you could either contact your local housing benefit department or speak to an adviser. You can get advice from a Shelter advice centre, Citizens Advice bureau, your local council or another advice centre. Use our directory to find agencies in your area.
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