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Extended Housing Benefit payments when returning to work

If some of your benefit entitlements come to an end because you have taken up employment, increased your hours of work or your earnings, you may be able to continue receiving Housing Benefit for an additional four week period.

Who can claim?

To be eligible for extended Housing Benefit payments you, or your partner must:

  • be starting work or increasing your hours, and
  • expect your new work or increased hours to last for 5 weeks or more, and 
  • have had an entitlement to Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based or contribution-based), Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance for a continuous period of 26 weeks or more.

Extended Housing Benefit payments are automatically calculated and issued to you should you be eligible. If you think you are not receiving the entitlements and should be, please contact us.

What will happen next?

We will look at your claim and assess whether you are entitled to extended payments. If you are we will award 4 weeks Housing Benefit at the same rate you were entitled to before you started work. At the end of the extended payment period, we will work out your claim based on your new circumstances.

You may be entitled to Housing Benefit after your extended payment ends, or if you don't qualify for an extended payment, you may still be entitled to Housing Benefit once you have started work.

You can check your likely entitlement by using the online benefits calculator.

If we do not have evidence of your new income and full details of your capital, your claim will be suspended following the end of the extended payment period and we will request proof of all of your income and full details of your capital.

If you do not qualify for an extended payment and you still want to claim Housing Benefit, your claim will be suspended following the change in your circumstances and we will request proof of your income and capital to work out your claim based on your new circumstances.

You must notify us straight away of any other changes in your circumstances that could affect your Housing Benefit.