Benefits frequently asked questions

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Benefits: your frequently asked questions

• I have applied for benefits. When will I hear about my claim?

  Once you have applied for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support and given us all of the information we asked for, we will assess your claim as quickly as possible.

  We will contact you to let you know the outcome of your claim or to request more information.

  If we ask you for more information, please send it to us as quickly as possible. If you do not, your claim will not be paid.

  If you are being threatened with eviction, please contact us immediately on 01442 228000.

• Your benefits decision letter

  When we have processed your benefits claim, we will send you a benefits notification letter (sometimes called a benefits decision letter). The letter will set out:

  • how much Housing Benefit you will receive
  • how much Council Tax Support you will receive (if you applied for it)
  • the information we used to assess your benefit entitlement. You must check the information we used carefully, and tell us if you think your claim was assessed incorrectly. 

  To request a copy of your benefits decision letter, please email customer.services@dacorum.gov.uk.

• How will my benefits be paid?

  Council Tax Support

  Although the amount of Council Tax Support you will receive will be shown as a weekly amount, it will be paid directly onto your Council Tax bill as a single lump sum.

  Please check your latest Council Tax bill for details of the total amount of Council Tax Support you are entitled to and how much, if any, Council Tax you have to pay.

  Housing Benefit

  Your decision letter will show how much help you will receive towards your rent and how it will be paid.

  If you are a council tenant, we will pay your Housing Benefit directly to your rent account.

  If you rent from a private landlord, your Housing Benefit will be paid directly to you. For more information, please go to our Local Housing Allowance page. 

• How do we pay your Housing Benefit?

  We normally pay by BACS bank transfer.  It is a quick and secure way to receive your benefit.

  Your payment will arrive into your bank and it will be cleared immediately. To pay directly into your bank, we will need:

  • your bank’s sort code
  • your account number
  • the name of your bank or building society
  • the name of the account holder.

  Please check with your bank or building society if you are not sure.

  To request a BACS transfer, please download our  BACS transfer form (PDF 21KB).

  Return your completed form to us at Benefits, The Forum, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1DN.

• When will I get my next benefits payment?

  If you are a council tenant, payments will be made directly to your rent account every Monday.

  If you rent from a private landlord or housing association, your payments will normally be made every four weeks.

  * Over bank holiday periods, payments may take one day longer to clear.

  Table of benefits payment dates

  Payment date	Received in your bank account
  27 December 2023	29 December 2023
  22 January 2024	24 January 2024
  19 February 2024	21 February 2024
  18 March 2024	20 March 2024
  15 April 2024	17 April 2024
  13 May 2024	15 May 2024
  10 June 2024	12 June 2024
  8 July 2024	10 July 2024

• I haven’t received one of my payments

  We make Housing Benefits payments on a Monday and they usually take two to three working days to reach your bank account. Please do not report the payment as missing until three days have passed.

  If, after three days, you have not received a payment, please contact us at housing.benefits@dacorum.gov.uk.

  To investigate the issue, we will need the following information:

  • your six-digit claim number
  • your full name
  • your full address, including the postcode
  • the date your payment was due
  • your bank’s six-digit sort code
  • your bank’s name and branch

  We will investigate the issue and contact you in the next three working days. 

• Overpayments

  A benefit overpayment is when you have received more benefit than you are entitled to. It could have happened because you did not tell us about a change in your circumstances, or because we could not recalculate your benefit before your circumstances changed.

  If you do not agree that your benefit was overpaid, you will need to write to us telling us why you disagree.

  If you are still entitled to receive benefit, we will make weekly deductions from the amount we pay you until all of the overpayment is repaid.

  If you are no longer entitled to receive benefit, we will send you an invoice that you will need to pay. If you have received an invoice, please contact our Customer Accounts team to arrange payment back to us. Call 01442 228000 and ask for customer accounts or email hbdebtors@dacorum.gov.uk.

  If you have received an invoice and you do not pay it or contact us, we will recover the money from other benefits you receive, directly from your salary or by taking you to court.

• Where can I get financial and budgeting advice?

  Organisations offering money advice

  Organisation	Description	Contact details
  Citizens Advice	Provides advice on managing your money, debt advice and information on other benefits you may be entitled to.	03444 111 444 www.citizensadvice.org.uk
  Hertfordshire Money Advice Unit	Advice on money and benefits.	0300 123 4040 www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
  Step Change Debt Charity	Advice on how to deal with debt problems.	0800 138 1111 www.stepchange.org
  National Debtline	Advice on how to deal with debt problems.	0808 808 4000 www.nationaldebtline.org

  Many of the utility companies offer additional help to people on benefits

  Financial advice provided by utility companies

  Organisation	Description	Contact details
  British Gas	Help for people finding it difficult to pay their gas or electricity bills.	01733 421060 www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk
  Anglian Water	Advice for people finding it difficult to pay their water bill. Anglian Water Assistance Fund.	0800 169 3630 www.anglianwater.co.uk
  Thames Water	Advice for people finding it difficult to pay their water bill. Thames Water Trust Fund.	0300 123 6001  www.twtf.org.uk
  Affinity Water	Advice for those struggling to pay their water bill.	0345 357 2401 www.affinitywater.co.uk