Discretionary Housing
Payment
Key information
A Discretionary Housing Payment is a payment you may
receive at the discretion of your local authority to top up your
Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.
Applies to: England, Wales and Scotland.
If you live in Northern Ireland, see Housing Benefit (Northern Ireland)
Age rules: There are no age rules that affect
Discretionary Housing Payment entitlement. However, you must be old
enough to have a legally enforceable liability for rent
and/or Council Tax.
Taxable: No
Administered by: Your local authority
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Who does it help?
A Discretionary Housing Payment is for people in need of extra
financial assistance on top of their Housing Benefit or
Council Tax Benefit so that they can meet their full rent or
Council Tax.
Once your local authority has spent its budget (provided by the
Government) it cannot award any more payments for that financial
year.
Discretionary Housing Payments generally do not help
towards mortgages. However, if a homeowner is
struggling to pay and is in receipt of Council Tax Benefit they
might succeed in gaining a lump sum payment.
Other help may also be available to you if you are
a homeowner paying a mortgage and you are getting certain
benefits, see our information on homeowners: help with housing costs.
Your local authority will decide how to treat any
income or other resources you have. They can take account of
unavoidable costs that you have to meet such as travel costs to
work.
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What help does it provide?
A Discretionary Housing Payment can help towards housing
costs. It can be paid if your Housing Benefit does not meet the
full rent you pay, for example, because the Local Housing Allowance
does not cover the rent you must pay, or you do not receive full
Housing Benefit because your income is too high, or your Housing
Benefit is reduced because of non-dependant deductions. It
could also be paid to help with a rent deposit or rent in
advance for a property you haven't moved into yet as long
as you are entitled to Housing Benefit for your
current home.
A Discretionary Housing Payment can not be used to cover an
increase in rent due to arrears or to make up the
difference if an overpayment is being recovered from
your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit or in some
circumstances where your benefit has been restricted e.g. under the
loss of benefit for benefit offences rules.
Discretionary Housing Payments can not be made for rent payments
if you only receive Council Tax Benefit and can not be made for
Council Tax payments if you only receive Housing Benefit.
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How much does it pay?
Your local authority will decide whether to award a
Discretionary Housing Payment, how much to award, and for how long.
The amount you get could cover all or part of your
shortfall.
The payment could be made to you, your landlord or straight to
your Council Tax account.
Discretionary Housing Payments do not count as income or capital
when calculating your entitlement to means-tested benefits or
tax credits.
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How do I make a claim?
A claim for a Discretionary Housing Payment is different to a
claim for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. You should ask
your local authority how to make a claim. They may accept claims in
writing, over the telephone or electronically. You can find the
contact details of your
local council (link opens in a new window) on the Directgov
website.
What documents will I need?
You may be asked to provide information to support your
claim.
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Can it be backdated?
There are no rules on backdating. It is up to your local
authority whether any award will be backdated and for how long.
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Challenging decisions
You can ask your local authority to review its decision and you
should receive the new decision and any reasons in writing. There
is no right of appeal against a Discretionary Housing Payment
decision but occasionally you may be able to apply for a Judicial
Review in the High Court; you will need to seek legal
advice on this. You could contact the local government
ombudsman if you believe there has been maladministration.
Further information on Challenges and
complaints.
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Change of circumstance
You are required to notify your local authority of any
changes of circumstances which may be relevant to you
continuing to receive Discretionary Housing Payments. You will be
told about the changes you should report.
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Updated: 14 January 2011
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