Housing benefit if you are pension age

You could get housing benefit to help with rent if you're:

• pension age

• have a low income

Check your state pension age on GOV.UK

You must meet immigration conditions to get benefits.

You cannot usually get housing benefit if you have more than £16,000 savings. This limit does not apply if you get pension credit guarantee.

Living with a partner below pension age

You usually have to apply for universal credit as a couple for help with rent.

You cannot usually make a new claim for housing benefit if you are a mixed age couple.

Mixed age means you are pension age but your partner is working age.

Housing benefit as a mixed age couple

If you've claimed housing benefit as a mixed age couple since before 15 May 2019, you keep getting housing benefit unless your situation changes.

If your situation changes, you might have to claim universal credit.

For example, if you:

• move to a different council area

• go abroad for more than 4 weeks

• separate from your partner and then get back together

Paying rent to a close family member

You cannot get housing benefit if you live in the same home and pay rent to your:

• partner

• children, including stepchildren

• parents, including step parents

• brothers and sisters, including half siblings but not step siblings

• partners of any of these close relatives

You could get housing benefit if you pay rent to other close relatives. For example, a grandchild, aunt, uncle or cousin.

You might need to show proof you pay rent. For example, a lodger's agreement.

Your relative should check if their benefits will be affected if you pay rent and live with them.

More on benefits and renting from family.

How to apply for housing benefit

You can apply through either:

• your local council - to claim housing benefit only

• the pension credit claim line - if you also want to apply for pension credit

You could get pension credit to top up your income.

Pension credit can be paid on top of your state pension if you have a low income in retirement.

More on pension credit from Age UK.

Apply for housing benefit at your council

Some councils ask you to apply online.

But you can ask for a paper form if this is easier for you.

Apply for pension credit at the same time

You can apply over the phone or online. There's no form to fill in.

The pension service sends your information to your local council.

Your council:

• processes your housing benefit claim

• asks for any documents they need

Information you need to provide

You need to say:

• who lives with you

• how much rent you pay

• your landlord or agent's details

• how much income and savings you have

Supporting evidence

You also have to show some documents.

For example:

• proof of income or savings

• tenancy agreement or letter from your landlord

• 2 forms of ID like a driving licence, passport, birth certificate, or proof of residence status

You must show original documents.

Take important documents to the council office so they can be copied and returned to you.

Does housing benefit cover the full rent?

Housing benefit does not always pay your full rent.

For example, if you have:

• a service charge to pay

• other income or savings

• deductions because other people live with you

• a higher rent because you rent privately

You do not have to pay the bedroom tax if you are pension age.

Service charges

Some service charges are not covered by housing benefit. For example:

• meals

• care and support

• warden alarm systems

• water or heating charges in your flat

Find out which services charges can be covered in social housing.

If your service charge is not covered, you have to pay it from other income.

Other income and savings

Your rent is more likely to be covered if you get pension credit.

If you do not get pension credit, your housing benefit is reduced if you have:

• more than £10,000 in savings

• other income, such as wages or workplace pensions

If other people live with you

Your housing benefit could be reduced if adult family members or friends live with you.

This is called a non dependant deduction.

It does not apply for the first 6 months after your relative or friend moves in.

If you rent privately

Housing benefit is worked out using local housing allowance (LHA).

Your LHA rate is based on the number of bedrooms you can claim for.

Backdating housing benefit

Your housing benefit is backdated to whichever is the most recent:

• 3 months before you applied

• when you reached pension age

• the date you had to start paying rent

This happens automatically when you apply for housing benefit.

You do not need to give a reason for claiming late.

How housing benefit is paid

Housing benefit is paid in arrears.

If you're a council tenant, your housing benefit is always paid direct to your rent account, usually every 4 weeks.

If you rent from a housing association or private landlord, your housing benefit can go direct to your landlord if:

• you ask for this to happen

• the council thinks this will help you

• you have at least 8 weeks' rent arrears

• you have deductions from your pension credit for arrears

Otherwise it is paid direct to you. You must then pay rent to your landlord.

You can ask the council to pay your housing benefit calendar monthly or less often, when your rent is due.

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