Claiming Benefit – Assisted claims (e-claims)

How do I claim?

If you wish to apply for Housing and or Council Tax Benefit or Second Adult rebate, you will be required to complete an application form. These are no longer available in paper form and will need to be completed electronically.

You can make a claim in one of the following ways:

Over the phone with one of our Benefit Advisors

If you would like to make a claim over the telephone, please call the Benefits Section on 023 9254 5325. An advisor will aim to book a telephone appointment with you within 48 hours (at a time convenient with you between 9am and 5pm) and will advise you of the information you will need to have available during this call.

The call back will take place at the agreed time and your claim form will be completed over the telephone with the Benefit Advisor. These calls take approximately 40 minutes and you will be advised of any information (proof) required in support of your claim. This information will need to be brought in to the Benefit Section at the Town Hall, at which time you will also sign the declaration on your claim form.

Your claim will then be submitted electronically to the Assessment Team for processing and fast-tracked for payment. Claiming Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax benefit in this way means that you will receive your benefit more quickly.

In person with one of our Benefit Advisors at the Town Hall

If you would prefer to make a claim in person, you will be asked to attend an interview at the Benefits Section. However before this, you must contact us to register your intention to claim and find out what information you will need to bring with you to your interview.

If you wish to submit your claim this way, we will be unable to allocate you a specific time for your interview. You will need to come to the Town Hall and wait to be seen by the next available Benefit Advisor, which could mean a short wait.

At the interview, the Benefit Advisor will complete your claim form electronically and verify any information (proof) to support your claim. This could take up to 40 minutes. Your claim will then be passed to the Assessment Team for processing and fast-tracked for payment. Claiming Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax benefit in this way means that you may not receive your benefit as quickly.

In your home with one of our Benefit Advisors

We appreciate that some of our customers will be unable to claim over the telephone or in person at the Town Hall. If you are housebound or feel you will have difficulty claiming or getting information to us, a Visiting Officer can visit you at home.

The Visiting Officer will complete your claim form electronically and verify any information (proof) to support your claim. Upon the Visiting Officer’s return to the Town Hall, your claim will be passed to the Benefit Service for processing and fast-tracked for payment.

In each of the above cases, your claim can only be fast-tracked for payment if all of the information needed is received promptly (i.e. within 2 days). Any delay in submitting the necessary information within this timescale may hold-up the assessment process.

Therefore to ensure your claim is processed as quickly as possible, please tell us straightaway if you will have difficulty in supplying any of the information.

If you require further information to assist you in your claim for Housing/ Council Tax Benefit, the Benefit Assessment Section will be happy to advise you. You can contact them at the Town Hall or by telephoning (023) 9254 5325.