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Housing benefit

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Housing Benefit helps pay your rent if you are a tenant. Up to 380,000 older people who are entitled to Housing Benefit are not claiming it. Housing Benefit could not only reduce your rent but also cover some service charges like lifts and communal laundry facilities.

Can I claim Housing Benefit?

  • Housing Benefit is a means-tested benefit, so what help you receive depends on your income and savings. It also depends on who you live with and how much rent you pay.
  • You normally need to have less than £16,000 in savings, unless you get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit in which case there is no savings limit.
  • Claiming benefits like Carers Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance can help you get more Housing Benefit.
  • If you own your home, you can't claim Housing Benefit. However, you may be eligible for Support with Mortgage Interest as part of Pension Credit.

Use our opens link in new window online benefits calculator to find out whether you could be eligible for Housing Benefit.

How to claim Housing Benefit

Contact your local council to claim. You may be able to apply online, by telephone or by completing a form. You can apply for Housing Benefit at the same time as applying for Pension Credit.

opens link in new window Download our guide More money in your pocket: a guide to claiming benefits for people over pension age (PDF 3 MB)

opens link in new window Download our guide Claiming benefits: a guide for people of working age (PDF 1 MB)

opens link in new window Download our factsheet Housing benefit and council tax benefit (PDF 232 KB)

opens link in new window Download our factsheet Benefits for people under State Pension age (PDF 167 KB) 

opens link in new window Download our factsheet Capital, income and means-tested benefits (PDF 215 KB)

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Campaigning issues

More money in your pocket

Age UK has launched the more money in your pocket campaign - to help us claim all the money we are owed. Last year‚ Age UK helped put more than £100 million in unclaimed benefits in the pockets of those of us in later life and our carers‚ and we plan to do even better this year.

Your Age UK

Set your location to see what Age UK offers in your local area.

Age UK Advice:
0800 169 6565

Useful website

  • The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for a range of benefits and services for pensioners and people planning pensions.

Useful information to download

  • The following factsheets are applicable to people over pension age.
    The following factsheet is applicable to people under pension age.
  • View all downloadsHelp with downloads

    Downloads

    What is a download?

    A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.

    What is a PDF?

    PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.

    Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have set their computer up).

    How do I download a PDF?

    Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.

    How do I install Adobe Acrobat Reader?

    The process is quite straightforward and is free.

    1. Go to opens link in new window http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
    2. Click ‘Download’.
    3. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Run’, then choose this option.
    4. Click ‘Next’.
    5. Click ‘Install’
    6. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Finish’, then choose this option.

    How do I change a download?

    PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.

    How do I print or save a download?

    Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.

    Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.

    Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.

    Can my screen reader read PDF downloads?

    We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.

    You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:

    • Read the document: Shift +Ctrl+Y
    • Read the open page only: Shift +Ctrl+V
    • Read to the end of the document: Shift+Ctrl+B
    • Pause: Shift+Ctrl+C
    • Stop Shift+Ctrl+E

    You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:

    • Copy the URL (web address) of the document (right-click on the link and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Copy link’).
    • Open the Adobe online conversion tool in your browser and paste the URL into the URL box.
    • Tick the HTML box on the Format option and click ‘Convert’.

    You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.

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