Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit

Housing benefit is a government scheme to help people on a low income to pay their rent. It does not matter whether you pay rent to the council, a housing association, or a private landlord.

Council tax benefit is to help people on a low income to pay their council tax. Anyone who pays council tax can claim, including owner-occupiers; you do not have to be a tenant.

The amount of benefits you get will depend on your income, savings, and family circumstances.

» More about Housing Benefit
» More about Council Tax Benefit
» Apply for benefit using the online application (claim) form
» Estimate how much benefit you may get, using the benefits calculator

Application (claim) form

Filling in benefit forms can be long and complicated, so Waltham Forest Council has used the latest internet technology to make the online application process easier.

» Go to the housing benefit/council tax benefit interactive claim form (requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or above; see below for other browsers)

» Read more about the security and benefits of the new interactive claim form

Who can apply?

This application form is only for:

  • people claiming Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit for properties within the borders of Waltham Forest Council, and
  • Housing Benefit claims where you have been housed outside the borough by Waltham Forest Council.

In all other cases, please contact your own local authority for information and an application form.

Different formats

The claim form is available in different formats so you can choose the one which is most convenient for you, but they all ask for the same information. You only need to complete and send one of them to us to make a claim:

Interactive Claim Form (for Internet Explorer versions 5.0-7.0)

  • This version of the form currently only works on Internet Explorer, versions 5.0 to 7.0. This means that the majority of PC users will be able to use the form (but please see below if you use a different browser)
  • You can complete this form and send it to the Council online - you only need to print out the declaration and any relevant additional forms, then sign it and send it to us
  • If you do not have access to a printer, there is space on the form for you to ask us to print a copy of the declaration for you to sign and return to us. We will also send you any additional forms that you need to complete
  • You can get help with filling in this form

The interactive claim form is currently being developed to make it work with other internet browsers such as Firefox and Opera, and on other computers such as Apple Macs, as well as with screen readers (used by visually impaired and blind customers).

A non-interactive HTML version of the claim form is available for customers using other browsers and other computers such as Macs and Linux machines, or who use screen readers.  

If you prefer to complete your claim form by hand and return it to us, you can print out the  Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit claim form (PDF 1.5MB).

Non-interactive claim form (for other browsers/platforms and screen readers)

  • We recommend you only use this version of the form if you are using screen reader software, or do not have Internet Explorer installed on your computer, or the interactive form does not work on your computer
  • However, it is a very long form and will take some time to complete
  • If you are using Internet Explorer, you will find it much easier to complete the interactive form as the HTML form is not interactive, does not have error checking built in, and will take longer to complete
  • When you have finished, you can just send it to the Council online - you do not have to print it out to sign and send to us
  • We will then send you a copy of the declaration for you to sign and return to us. We will also send you any additional forms you need to complete
  • You must fill in the whole form before submitting it to us in order to be eligible for benefit. If you submit an incomplete form, we will have to send you a paper form to complete and send back to us
    » Go to the non-interactive claim form

 

Benefits calculator

This will give you an estimate of how much Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit you may be entitled to. However, if you do want to claim benefit, you must make a formal application using one of the claim forms above.

» Go to the Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefits Calculator