Welcome To Wirral

1. Introduction

Not everybody working can get help with his or her rent and council tax.

2. What to do next

You must contact your Job Centre Plus and Local Authority to tell them of your change in circumstances. If you do not you may lose extra benefit, or may be overpaid benefit. If you were already claiming Housing and Council Tax benefit you do not have to fill in a new application form, unless you qualify for extended payments. [See below].

3. What help can I get?

You can get an extended payment of Housing and Council Tax Benefit if you meet the following conditions:

• If you or your partner start work; and
• the job is expected to last for at least 5 weeks; and
• you or your partner have been entitled to Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance for more than 26 weeks; and
• Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance has stopped because you have started work; and
• you or your partners are still liable for rent and/or council tax.
• you or your partner were getting Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

Extended Payments [What are they?]

An extended payment is for anyone who was unemployed and receiving either Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance [Income Based], Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance which stopped because either you or your partner started work or have increased your hours of work to more than 16 per week.

You or your partner must have been getting Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance [Income based], Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance, continuously for at least 26 weeks before your benefit stopped.

You must also be:-

• Under 60 years old on the day after your Income Support/Job Seekers Allowance [Income Based stopped, and;
• The new job or increased hours [if previously less than 16 hours] must be expected to last for at least 5 weeks.

How long is the extended benefit period for?

The extended benefit period will be for 4 weeks from the day after your Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance [Income based], and Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance has stopped [as long as you continue to have a liability to pay rent and/or council tax].

How will my benefit be calculated?

You will get the same amount of Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit as you did when you were in receipt of Income Support/Job Seekers Allowance [Income Based]. People who change address however may be paid at a different rate.

If you want to claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit, you must fill in a new in-work application form within 4 weeks of the end of your extended benefit.

How do I claim extended payments?

You must contact the Local Authority within 4 weeks of the end of your entitlement to Income Support/Job Seekers Allowance [Income Based].

You can call our Call Centre on 0151 606-2002 or call in person to one of the One-Stop Shops. You can email us at housingbenefits@wirral.gov.uk or write a letter to the Director of Finance, PO Box No 2, Cleveland Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 6BU.

Disregarded income

We use net income [that is what’s left after tax, National Insurance and half your pension contribution is taken out]. Before your benefit is worked out we allow you certain disregards from your wages.

We disregard the following amounts from your earnings:

Single Claimants	£5.00
Couples	£10.00
Disabled Claimants and Carers	£20.00
Lone Parents	£25.00

In addition there is a disregard of £14.90 if you or your partner are working over 30 hours or a combination of 16/30 hours.

You need to tell us about certain items of income, even though they are not taken into account in the calculation of your benefit:

• DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE [care and mobility components]
• ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE
• WAR WIDOWS PENSIONS
• WAR DISABLEMENT PENSION

Childcare Costs

Also, if you pay childcare costs to a registered childminder or nursery, we may allow you up to £175 per week for families with one child or £300 per week with two or more children. You must give us the details.

4. What information do you need to tell us?

If you have never claimed benefit before, or you have not told us before you will have to provide original documents of the following

• Proof of ID for you and your partner
• Proof of National Insurance number for your and your partner
• Full details of all income you and your partner receive including:
• 5 consecutive weekly wage slips or 2 months, if paid monthly
• Self employed accounts or daybooks. See self-employed declaration form.
• Details of any savings, bank or building society accounts and investments you and your partner may have
• Name, dates of birth and income details of others living in the household plus their National Insurance Numbers.

5. What if I have been overpaid Housing benefit?

If you have been paid too much benefit and you disagree with the amount you have been overpaid, you can ask for your claim to be looked at again. You must do this within one month of being told by the Local Authority. See Appealing for further information in the related links section, if you think the decision about your Housing or Council Tax Benefit is wrong.

If you have to pay back an overpayment of benefit and you are still receiving Housing Benefit, it can be reduced by a set amount each week to recover any amount owing. The weekly recovery amount is £8.70 from April 2006, however this amount goes up to £11.60 per week, if the overpayment of benefit was found to be as a result of fraud.

6. Other help you may get

If you are starting work and receiving a low wage, you may be able to get the following:

• Working Tax Credit
• and or Child Tax Credit if you have children
• Uniform grants
• Free NHS prescriptions
• Energy Grant
• Optical voucher

To find out more visit a One Stop Shop.

7. Where to go for help

See Council Offices in the related links section.