Working age
We may be able to backdate your Housing Benefit up to one month, but you must have a good reason for not claiming sooner.
You can request a backdate of benefit at the point of completing the Housing Benefit application form or you can send a letter requesting this. We cannot accept a request by email as we require a signature.
To request a backdate of benefit, you will need to give us the following information:
- the date you want your Housing Benefit to start
- evidence of your income, benefits, savings, and rent from when you want your Housing Benefit to start
- details of who was living with you from when you want your Housing Benefit to start
- explanation as to why you did not claim Housing Benefit sooner
Pension age
If you and your partner have reached pension age, we can automatically consider backdating your claim for 3 months.
To qualify for the 3-month backdate, you must be of pension age at the start of the Housing Benefit award, and we must have evidence of all income, savings, rent, and household details from the start of your claim.