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Who is eligible?

You may be able to claim Extended Payment of Housing Benefit if you or your partner or civil partner (and they remain a partner throughout the claim) have stopped getting income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, or Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance because one of you is expecting to do one of the following for five weeks or more:

and you've been getting one of the following:

or

and

• Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income Support
• Incapacity Benefit

How much do you get?

Normally you'll get the same amount of Housing Benefit as you did before your income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance stopped.

• Housing Benefit
• Severe Disablement Allowance

How it's paid

It's paid by your local council in the same way you usually get your Housing Benefit.

How to apply

You must tell your local council and Jobcentre Plus office that you or your partner or civil partner (if you have one) are about to or have started work, increased your hours of work or are earning more money. You must also tell them (within four weeks of the change) if the change is expected to last five weeks or more.

When your income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support stops because you start work or your circumstances change, your Jobcentre Plus or social security office will contact your local council and tell them you've stopped getting those benefits and how long you'd been getting them.

When your Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance stops because you start work or have a change of circumstance, your local council will check how long you've been getting them.

In either case, your local council will decide whether or not you're entitled to an extended payment.

• Find contact details of your local council

What else you need to know

You'll need to contact your local council to make a new claim for Housing Benefit at the end of your extended payment.

• Find your local council (opens new window)

How to appeal

If you are refused Housing Benefit or the Extended Payment you can ask your local council to look again at their decision.

If you're still unhappy with the outcome, you can appeal to an independent Appeal Tribunal.

• How to appeal against a benefits decision
• A to Z of local councils

More useful links

• On a low income benefits information
• Housing Benefit
• Mortgage Interest Run On - home loan help
• Overdue utility bills
• How to catch up if you've got little or no pension
• Problems with your landlord - how the council can help (home and community section)