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Problems creating an account

To create an account, you will need your:

  • Housing benefit or council tax support reference number - This is printed on the benefit notification letters that we have sent you about your claim. It can start with 0, 2 or 3 and can be six to eight digits long. If you do not have any notices or letters from us, you should contact us.
  • National Insurance number - These are issued by HM Revenue and Customs. You can find more information at GOV.UK website.  Your National Insurance number can be found on any letter from the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre, or could even be on your bank statement depending on what type of income you are in receipt of. Example format of a National Insurance Number is QQ112233X. This is an example and should not be used as your own number.

I can't see my transactions

  • The transactions for the following forms will not appear on the My Transactions page:
    • View housing benefits account*
    • Apply for housing benefit and council tax support
    • Change in circumstances
    • Claim backdated housing benefit
    • Sending supporting information
    • Request access to the landlord portal
  • *You will only be able to view your housing benefit account if you also have a council tax account since both sets of information are held in the same place.

My information is wrong

  • The information available on this service is taken from the live benefits system and will not be current if your claim is awaiting a decision or payments have stopped.
  • If any of the information shown is incorrect you have a duty to tell us. You may have had a change in circumstances.  Let us know. 

Understanding your claim summary

The following terms appear in your claim summary.

  • Next payment amount
    • This is the amount of your next housing benefit payment after any overpayment recovery has been deducted.
  • Payment period end
    • This is the paid up to date on the previous payment.
  • Payment period start
    • The next payment will be paid from this date.
  • Payee 
    • If you are a council tenant we will pay your benefit into your rent account.
  • Payment method
    • Council tenants will have their benefit credited to their rent account. Information for private and housing association tenants
    • BACS is a transfer of money paid directly into your bank account (or your landlord's bank account if you come under this criteria).

Understanding how your benefits have been calculated

  • Income used in calculation
    • Any earnings will be shown here as a weekly figure (less tax, National Insurance and half of any pension contributions), any partner’s earnings, child benefit, state pensions, other state benefits, private pensions, working tax and child tax credits and tariff income from capital, etc. Some types of income, such as Disability Living Allowance, are ignored when working out your weekly income. Earnings and Working Tax Credit are disregarded in part.
  • For council tax support (CTS)
    • Self employed for more than 12 months assumed income - If your income is below the UK minimum wage for 35 hours (this is based on the April rate each year), CTS is calculated as follows:  
    • For single people and members of couples – hourly minimum wage multiplied by 35 hours per week.
    • For lone parents – hourly minimum wage multiplied by 16 hours per week.
    • Couples with dependent children where both are self-employed:
      • hourly minimum wage multiplied by 35 hours per week for one member
      • hourly minimum wage multiplied by 16 hours per week for the other member.
    • If your self-employed income is higher than the above calculation, your actual income figure will be used to calculate your council tax support.
  • Applicable amount
    • This is the weekly amount set by the government as the amount of income you can have before we start to reduce your benefit. It varies according to:
      • How old you are
      • How many people are in your family
      • Whether any of them have disabilities.
  • Excess income
    • This is your net income minus your applicable amount
  • Weekly eligible rent
    • This is the amount of rent on which benefit can be paid and can be less than the amount of rent that you actually pay, due to rent restrictions and other ineligible charges.
  • Total weekly non-dependant deductions
    • Non-dependents are all other adults (including university students) who normally live in your home. Some of them may be expected to contribute towards your rent and council tax. A deduction from your benefits may be made, according to the individual’s income.
  • Less 65% of excess income
    • If your income is more than the applicable amount, the difference between the two is called ‘excess income’. Under the regulations the maximum benefit is reduced by 65% for housing benefit and 20% for council tax support.
  • Weekly eligible council tax 
    • This is the amount of council tax which support can be paid on and can be less than the council tax you are actually liable for, due to the maximum permitted percentage under the council’s local scheme.    
  • Understanding details of household 
    • This refers to the number of people resident in your household. Please check the details on this screen to ensure we have the correct information about who is in your household. If you are a joint tenant, you must tell us if anyone leaves or joins your joint tenant’s household. 
    • If any of the information shown is incorrect you have a duty to tell us. You may have had a change in circumstances.  Let us know. 
  • Status
    • This is where other members of your household will be listed, showing their status as:
      • Partner
      • A child aged 0–16
      • A youth aged 16–19
      • A non-dependent - someone who normally resides with you, such as an adult son, daughter or friend
    • Under income details you can see a breakdown of the income records we hold for each member of your household.

Other help information

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