You can use the online claim for below to apply for Council Tax Benefit, free school meals, Housing Benefit (including Local Housing Allowance) from Waltham Forest Council.
Apply online
- Make a claim for Benefit now using our online form
- Evidence you will need to show us
- Use our benefits calculator to find out how much benefit you could get
Apply by telephone
You can make a benefit claim over the phone.
Phone the Benefits Service on 020 8496 8550 between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday
Visit us at the Walthamstow Customer Service Centre
You can make a claim at the Walthamstow Customer Service Centre (formerly the Walthamstow Customer Service Centre or Leyton Library).
Request a home visit
If you are housebound, ill, elderly or have difficulty getting around, we can arrange a home visit by one of our officers to help you.
» How to request a home visit for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit queries
What else do I need to do when I apply?
Whether you apply online, at the Walthamstow Customer Service Centre, or by phone, you will need to show us evidence to support your claim
How much benefit could I get?
» Use our benefits calculator to find out how much benefit you could get
When will my benefit start?
Your benefit will usually start:
- From the Monday after we receive your form
- Or after you first contacted us asking to claim. You must get your completed form to us within a month of contacting us
If you delay, you may get less benefit.
If you think you might be entitled, make a claim as soon as possible so you don't lose out.
Backdating
Sometimes we can pay benefit from an earlier date if there is a continuous good reason why you did not claim from that date.
If you want us to consider paying your benefit from an earlier date, tell us when you want benefit paid from and why you did not claim earlier.
Contact us
Please contact us at Revenues and Benefits if you have any queries, or you can phone us on 020 8496 3000 (select the Benefits and Free School Meals option) or visit us at the Walthamstow Customer Service Centre (formerly the Walthamstow Customer Service Centre or Leyton Library).
If you bring all the documentary evidence we need to see, we can usually assess your claim while you wait, and tell you how much benefit you will get and how we worked it out.
