Housing Benefit payments

Renting from a housing association

If you rent from a housing association, your Housing Benefit will generally be paid by BACS transfer directly into your landlord's bank four weekly in arrears. Your landlord will record these payments on your rent account. You will not receive any money directly but the rent you owe will be reduced accordingly.

You can have Housing Benefit payments made directly to yourself, but this would mean that you would need to pay the full amount of the rent directly to your landlord yourself. You should contact your landlord to talk about how you will pay your rent.

You may lose your home if you get behind with your rent payments. If you need help contact us.

Renting from a private landlord

If you rent from a private landlord, you will be sent a payment by BACS transfer directly into your bank account. Landlords can insist on payments being made directly to themselves if you are in arrears with your rent by eight weeks or more.

If your Housing Benefit does not meet your rent in full, you must ensure you pay your landlord any shortfall. If there is a reason you feel you cannot manage your own payments please contact us.

All claims are paid four weekly in arrears unless you have been in receipt of Housing Benefit continuously since October 1996.

When you’ll be paid

We make payments four weekly in arrears on the main payment run. We pay this on the Monday after the date you received payment. There are thirteen main payment runs in the financial year.

If you are more than eight weeks in arrears, we may pay your Housing Benefit direct to your landlord. This is unless it would not be in your interest to do so.

We will credit your Housing Benefit payments four weekly to either:

• your bank account
• your landlord's bank or building society account

These dates cover the financial year 2023 to 2024:

• 17 April 2023
• 15 May 2023
• 12 June 2023
• 10 July 2023
• 7 August 2023
• 4 September 2023
• 2 October 2023
• 30 October 2023
• 27 November 2023
• 22 December 2023 (due to Christmas)
• 22 January 2024
• 19 February 2024
• 18 March 2024

If you think you’ve been paid too much 

You must contact us immediately if you think you have been paid too much Housing Benefit, or have had a change of circumstances that could affect your benefit entitlement.

Contact the Benefit team in your area:

• Allerdale area
• Copeland area
• Carlisle area

If you temporarily leave your home

You can continue to receive Housing Benefit if you are temporarily away from home for up to 4, 13, 26 or 52 weeks, depending on your circumstances.

Find out more about temporary absence from the home