Evidence Requirements
Before we can assess your entitlement to
Housing and Council Tax Benefit, documentation is required to
support your application. We refer to this as evidence.
The evidence that we require is to cover your and your partner's
(if applicable) Identity, National Insurance Number, Income,
Savings and Capital, Rent, the income of any Second Adults and Non
Dependants (anyone in your household over the age of 18 whom
you do not receive Child Benefit for).
We have prepared, as a guideline, a checklist of what
documentation we accept as evidence.
Unless you receive either Income Support, Jobseeker's
Allowance (Income Based) or Pension Credit Guaranteed Credit, you
will be required to provide evidence for each relevant topic
below.
It is important that you provide this information when you submit
your application as this will help us to determine your entitlement
sooner. You must also remember to
submit original documentation as photocopies cannot be
accepted.
You must provide at least one of the following documents for
yourself and your partner (if applicable), either:
- An original passport or
- An original driving licence or
- An original birth certificate.
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You must provide at least one document for yourself and your
partner (if applicable) as evidence of your National Insurance
Number(s):
The following are examples of some documentation which we accept
as proof of your National Insurance Number:
- A recent payslip
- A recent Pension Statement
- Any documentation from the Department for Work and
Pensions
- A P45, P60 or any other documentation from HM Revenue and
Customs.
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You must provide proof of your household income. When we refer
to household income, we mean any income earned by you,
your partner and any other adults (Non-Dependants) in your
property.
The type of evidence that you will be required to provide will
depend on the type of income. We have given some examples below of
the minimum evidence requirement for various different types of
income:
Employment/Earned Income
If you, your partner or any other adults in your property are
working, you must provide your:
- last 5 consecutive payslips if you are paid weekly; or
- last 3 consecutive payslips if paid fortnightly; or
- last 2 payslips if you are paid monthly or 4 weekly.
If you have only recently started employment and you do not have
the full required amount of payslips, please do not delay in
sending us your application. We will advise you of what is
required.
Please note, we cannot accept handwritten payslips. If you
receive handwritten payslips, or you have lost your payslips,
please ask your employer to complete and sign a
'Certificate of Earned Income' which can be
obtained from our downloads on the right hand side of this
screen.
Self-Employed Income
If you, your partner or any non-dependants in your household are
self-employed, proof of this income must be provided to support
your application.
The minimum requirement for a business which has been in
operation for more than 12 months would be self-employed accounts
(preferably accounts which have been prepared professionally) for
the previous 12 months. If your, your partner's or any
non-dependant's business has been in operation for less than 12
months, we will require for our 'Self Employed Declaration
Form' to be completed. This can be obtained from the
downloads section of this page.
After you submit this completed form to us, we will write to you
and ask you for further evidence relating to your
declaration.
State Benefits and Tax Credits
If you, your partner, children or any other adults in your property
are in receipt of any State Benefits or Tax Credits for themselves
or anyone else,including children and adults who do not live with
them, proof must be provided.
If such State Benefits or Tax Credits are in payment, you must
provide your award letter as evidence.
For more information on State Benefits, visit http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/index.htm
or www.dwp.gov.uk.
Other Income
If you, your partner, any children or any other adults in your
property receive any other type of income, you must provide proof
of this. Examples of this other income may be Maintenance, Private
Pensions, Income from Boarders and many more.
You are responsible to tell us about all your household income
details. The above information is for guidance only and this does
not advise of all income types. If you have any queries on what to
provide, please contact us.
Proof of Child Care Costs
As well as providing proof of your income, you should also
provide proof of any Child Care Costs which you have. In certain
circumstances, the costs which you are required to pay to a
registered childminder can be taken into consideration when
calculating your entitlement to Housing and Council Tax
Benefit.
When you submit your application for Housing and Council Tax
Benefit, if child care costs apply to yourself or your partner, you
should also submit a 'Child Care Certificate' form
which has been completed and signed by your registered childminder.
You can obtain this form from our downloads section on this
page.
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Proof of all savings and capital held by you, your partner or
any children must be provided.
The type of evidence that you will be required to provide will
depend on the type of savings and capital. We have given some
examples below of the minimum evidence requirement for various
different types of savings and capital:
Bank Accounts, Building Society Accounts, Post Office Accounts,
ISAs
You must provide full postal bank statements showing your name,
address, account number and these must carry the stamp or logo of
the bank or building society for all accounts held. These postal
statements must detail the transactions for at least 60 consecutive
days immediately prior to submitting your claim. We may write to
you and ask for further evidence if necessary.
Premium Bonds, National Savings Certificates, Stocks and Shares
and Unit Trusts
Original documentation must be provided as evidence.
Property or land owned other than your home
You must advise us on your application form if you own any
property or land other than the property which you occupy as your
home. Proof of this ownership should also be provided in the form
of original documentation. In you have any outstanding mortgage on
this property, you should also provide original documentation to
support this. We may write to you and ask for further evidence if
necessary.
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If you rent your property from a Housing Association or a
Private Landlord, you must provide proof of the rent that you are
required to pay. As proof of rent we accept
either:
1. Your original lease (not a photocopy) which has been
signed by yourself and your landlord, or
2. If you do not have a lease, you can obtain a 'Rent
Details Form' from the downloads section of this page.
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If you have an adult in your property who is over the age of 18
and whom you do not receive Child Benefit for, you will need to
provide proof of his or her income.
The documentation which you are required to provide can be found
in our evidence of income section.
This proof will need to be provided if you are claiming Second Adult Rebate or Housing/Council Tax Benefit.
Why is Proof Required?
If you are claiming Second Adult Rebate, your entitlement is
calculated using your second adult's income. More information
on Second Adult Rebate.
If you are claiming Housing and Council Tax Benefit, the income
of any other adults in your property may effect your
entitlement:
In certain circumstances, Housing and Council Tax Benefit
recipients who have a non-dependant(s) residing in the property,
may receive a reduction in the amount of Housing and Council Tax
Benefit (HB & CTB) payable, based on the level of income
of that non-dependant(s).
Legislative Changes - Non Dependant Deductions - April
2012
From 1 April 2012, the rate of non dependant deductions has been
increased. All figures shown below are based on the weekly
income of a non dependant:
|
Housing Benefit 2012
|
Council Tax
Benefit 2012
|
|
Non Dependant
Circumstances
|
|
|
|
Aged 25 or over and in receipt of Income
Support/Jobseeker's Allowance(IB)
|
£11.45
|
Nil (no deduction for anyone over 18)
|
|
Aged 18 or over and not in remunerative
work
|
£11.45
|
£3.30
|
|
In receipt of main phase
ESA(IR)
|
£11.45
|
Nil
|
|
In receipt of Pension
Credit
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
|
Not in receipt of main phase ESA(IR)
rate
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
|
Aged 18 or over and in remunerative
work
|
|
|
|
-gross income less than £124.00
|
£11.45
|
£3.30
|
|
-gross not less than £124.00 but less than
£183.00
|
£26.25
|
£3.30
|
|
-gross not less than £183.00 but less than
£238.00
|
£36.10
|
£6.55
|
|
-gross not less than £238.00 but less than
£316.00
|
£59.05
|
£6.55
|
|
-gross not less than £316.00 but less than
£394.00
|
£67.25
|
£8.25
|
|
-gross income not less than
£394.00
|
£73.85
|
£9.90
|
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Remember - you are responsible for providing correct
information. Although every effort was made to make this website as
comprehensive as possible, the information here is for guidance
only. If you have any queries regarding required evidence please
contact us:
In Writing or By Visiting Our Office:
Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Pullar House
35 Kinnoull Street
Perth
PH1 5GD
By Telephone/Textphone/Fax:
Telephone: 01738 476049
Textphone: 01738 442573
By Email:
This authority is under a duty to protect the public funds it
administers, and to this end may use the information you have
provided for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also
share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing
or administering public funds for these purposes. For further
information see the section of this website
explaining issues around Data Protection, or
contact Perth & Kinross Council's Information Compliance
Manager by phoning 01738 477930.
