What benefits are available?
Canterbury City Council administers two benefits for people living in its area, they are:

• Housing Benefit, and
• Council Tax Benefit

Both are government schemes and entitlement to them is based on your circumstances.

If you are a landlord and would like more information about Housing Benefit please look at our webpage for landlords:

Discussing Housing Benefit with landlords

What is Housing Benefit?
Housing Benefit is a scheme to help people pay their rent.

For some people, in April 2008 the Housing Benefit scheme may be replaced by a scheme called the Local Housing Allowance.

If you qualify for Housing Benefit you have a legal duty to keep us informed of any changes in your circumstances that may affect your benefit.  We want to tell us about changes as soon as they happen.  This prevents us paying you too much or too little benefit.  If you have been overpaid benefit you may have to pay it back.

What is Council Tax Benefit?
Council Tax Benefit is a scheme designed to help people pay their Council Tax.
If you qualify for Council Tax Benefit you have a legal duty to keep us informed of any changes in your circumstances that may affect your benefit.  We want to tell us about changes as soon as they happen.  This prevents us paying you too much or too little benefit.  If you have been overpaid benefit you may have to pay it back.

Am I entitled?
This often depends on the results of a means test.  A means test looks at:

• the income and savings of your household, and
• the amount the government says your household needs to live on, this is often called the applicable amount and compares the two. 

If your income is over your applicable amount, the amount of benefit you may be entitled to is reduced.

The amount of rent and Council Tax you have to pay also affects this calculation, as do any other adults living in your household.

To find out if you are entitled to either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit you can use any of these options:

• use our on line benefits calculator  to check your entitlement, or
• contact our Customer Services team to talk about your entitlement

Tel: 01227 862000

KCC have in addition set up a service to discuss take up of Council Tax benefit called Kent Benefit Partnership where trained officers will advise on all matters relating to Council tax benefit                                                        

Tel: 0845 345 0310

 It is a good idea to have your Council tax bill handy for reference when you phone.