Local authority housing allowance?

[bettybat]

Apologies if this has been asked a million times before, but I am so confused!

DH and I are TTCing. We need to move due to the nature of DH's work. We've been trying to figure out if we would qualify for housing benefit when I'm on maternity leave. I will be going back to work after 10 months, but working from home.

We have no savings, and DH is self-employed, on about 1400 a month after tax. I currently support us as he has debts that swallow up about half of his monthly earnings. We want to figure out if we're entitled because it effects our budget for renting - obviously we don't want to commit to a place that we find ourselves struggling to pay for! I sort of know the rough amount for the local authority area we're looking at and it makes our budget affordable (believe me, it's not like we're thinking we'd use the HB to get a super awesome place!) but I'm so confused - I don't want to just assume we'd automatically be entitled to it but a lot of friends talk about it contributing to their rent.

When I try to understand it, it doesn't say who is eligible - the way it's written implies anyone on a low income is.

Then I read on here about struggling to survive etc and I think - I must be massively miscalculating things! It really concerns me that I have no clue about these things. I've never claimed before and don't have any starting point. I have a vague notion of what we'd get for child benefit/working parent etc but everything else is beyond me :(

Have you tried a benefit check web site? Entitledto.com is very good, it will tell you what you need to claim. Local Housing Allowance varies from county to county so you need to bear this in mind.

Thanks Lady - it's not so much the amount (I finally managed to calculate that!), it's the if I don't understand. I'm so lame.

The benefit check website - after answer the billion questions - doesn't mention it either way. It says to fill it in, which I don't because I don't know, but in the results - it doesn't say I am or not like it does with Council Tax or Child Benefit. For example, it actually says - you're not entitled to CTB. Nice and clear :) But HB doesn't make an appearance.

So confused.

There's a lot of varients with housing benefit. It's possible that you're not eligible as they don't take debts into account. You can appeal regarding this though. It will take his £1400 and class this as income, as well as whatever you earn.

I would suggest you go to see your local Housing Department. My council, for example, has a Customer Services Centre where you can drop in between 8.45 and 5pm, take a ticket, wait and then see an adviser about housing options.

You do not need to be unemployed, I worked on a low income and received HB and LHA is the same. If your earnings plus child tax credit and working tax credit do not leave you with enough to live on you will qualify. Child benefit is not included in the calculation of income.