How is Housing Benefit Paid?

Housing Benefit is usually paid directly into your bank or building society account every four weeks.

But, if your landlord is a housing association, we can pay them directly if you wish.

Payments are usually made direct to people who rent privately and they are responsible for making arrangements to pay their landlord.

However, even if you rent privately, Housing Benefit can sometimes be paid directly to your landlord's bank or building society account. This tends to be done in exceptional cases, where someone has difficulties in managing their finances, for example.

Whether you rent privately or are in social housing, if you are more than eight weeks behind in your rent, your landlord can make a request for us to pay your Housing Benefit directly to them.

You can apply for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction using our online services,

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is paid into your bank or building society account each month. It is a single monthly payment, which means it is your responsibility to manage your finances and budget for expenses like your rent.

Advice is available

If you would like help or advice with managing money visit the Money Advice Service online tool or visit the Advice on Money Management page.