Payment of council tax reduction awards are made directly to your council tax account. You'll receive an amended bill whenever a change is made.
If you're a council tenant, housing benefit will be paid weekly direct to your rent account. If you're a housing association tenant we will pay you or your landlord four weekly in arrears directly into a bank account.
For private tenants, payment is made four weekly in arrears and is paid directly into the tenant's bank account. Details of our key payment dates and the period that payments will cover are shown on our payment schedule.
You may need to open a bank account to receive your housing benefit and we can advise you on this.
Payment to your landlord
Payment may be made to the landlord in the following circumstances.
- the first payment at the start of the claim - if there are rent arrears already outstanding
- if the tenant is likely to have difficulty managing their financial affairs
- if the tenant is unlikely to pay their rent
- if there are rent arrears of eight weeks or more
- where a tenancy is at risk - to help secure or retain it
- if a tenant has left the property leaving rent arrears behind
- if a tenant is having deductions made from other benefits to pay off rent arrears
When considering who to pay, we'll balance the interests of both the tenant and landlord and will respond quickly to reduce the possibility of rent arrears escalating.
To request payment to your landlord, complete our payment to landlord request form.
Payment to landlord request form
For more information on payments see our policy on making payments.