Housing benefit payments
How and when payment is made
Payment will usually be made straight into a bank or building society account on a Wednesday evening and should be in the account on the following Monday. Housing benefit is paid every 4 weeks, in arrears.
Payment schedule
The table below shows the dates that housing benefit payments are due
Date payment sent | Period the benefit covers |
---|---|
5 April 2023 | 13 March 2023 to 10 April 2023 |
3 May 2023 | 10 April 2023 to 8 May 2023 |
31 May 2023 | 8 May 2023 to 5 June 2023 |
28 June 2023 | 5 June 2023 to 3 July 2023 |
26 July 2023 | 3 July 2023 to 31 July 2023 |
23 August 2023 | 31 July 2023 to 28 August 2023 |
20 September 2023 | 28 August 2023 to 25 September 2023 |
18 October 2023 | 25 September 2023 to 23 October 2023 |
15 November 2023 | 23 October 2023 to 20 November 2023 |
13 December 2023 | 20 November 2023 to 18 December 2023 |
10 January 2024 | 18 December 2023 to 15 January 2024 |
7 February 2024 | 15 January 2024 to 12 February 2024 |
6 March 2024 | 12 February 2024 to 11 March 2024 |
Council Tax support
If you are entitled to Council Tax support, then your entitlement will be credited to your Council Tax bill for the relevant financial year.
Housing association tenant payments
Housing benefit payments can be paid to you or direct to your landlord.
Private tenant payments
In most cases, you will receive the payment and you will have to make arrangements to pay rent to the landlord yourself.
Payments direct to landlord
In exceptional circumstances, we may decide to make payments to your landlord, but this will only happen if there are compelling reasons for us to do so such as:
- if you have rent arrears, in most cases 8 weeks or more rent
- if you are unlikely to pay your rent
- if you are likely to have difficulty managing your finances.
If we decide to make payments to your landlord, this can be reviewed at a later date and the decision may change.
Payment schedules for landlords
If you are a landlord, you can view your payment schedules online by registering for a Council Tax online (e-citizen) account.
Register for an online account Log in to your online account