Backdated claims

For people under pension credit age, Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance can only normally be allowed from the date that you contact us, or the date that you contact the Jobcentre when claiming Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Employment & Support Allowance.

Council Tax Support can only normally be allowed from the date that you contact us. Please note that the Jobcentre no longer takes claims for help with council tax on our behalf, therefore you must contact us directly even if you are making a claim for Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Employment & Support Allowance.

Your claim can be backdated to an earlier date if you can give us special reasons (known as "good cause") why you could not make your claim before this.

Examples of good cause may include:

• you were in hospital or too ill to claim at the time and there was no one else who could help you
• you did not know about a change in the law that meant that you might qualify
• you did not understand that you could claim, perhaps because of age, inexperience or language difficulties

By law, a claim can only be backdated for a maximum period of six months.

You must be able to show us that the reasons why you delayed in claiming applied continuously throughout the period in question.

If the reason you did not claim is because you did not know that you were entitled, or thought that you were entitled but did not think that you needed to make a claim, this will not in itself mean that you have shown "good cause". However, if you have received wrong advice from a reliable source, such as an advice centre or solicitor about entitlement or the need to claim, you may be able to show "good cause".

The consequences of you not claiming at the correct time (such as rent or council tax arrears) are not grounds for backdating a claim.

If you wish to have your claim backdated, please complete the backdating section of the claim form or write in to us.

People over state pension credit age

For people over pension age, your claim will be looked at automatically for the three months before the date of your claim. You do not need to request backdating or show good cause as above.

If you need any help or further information, please contact the Benefits Team.