When are Housing Benefit payments sent
When you apply for Housing Benefit, we will usually ask you how you want to receive payments.
It can take up to five working days for:
- Cheque payments to arrive through the post
- Bank transfer payments to clear into a bank or building society account
However we pay your Housing Benefit entitlement, it is your responsibility to make sure your rent is paid in full. This includes where your Housing Benefit is paid direct to your landlord but your entitlement does not cover all of your rent.
Your first payment
Once we have worked out your Housing Benefit entitlement, we will send your first payment as soon as possible. This should cover the period from the start of your entitlement to the end of the latest payment period.
Your payments will then fall into a regular cycle. When and how payments are made may depend on the type of tenancy you have and whether we make payments to you or your landlord.
If Housing Benefit has not been paid
No Housing Benefit is paid for any weeks where no rent is due.
We might also suspend payments if we are told about a change that is likely to reduce your Housing Benefit entitlement.
