Benefits
Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit are assessed by comparing your household and personal circumstances with your income. The benefit also takes into account any other adults in your property who are expected in some circumstances to contribute to these costs.
The Council's benefits office is committed to providing a quality service to its customers, both claimants and landlords.
You can now apply for benefit online for more information please see Apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
The council does not deal with applications for Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance - these are dealt with by the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) or your local Job Centre.
What's New in Housing and Council Tax Benefits
Keep up to date with the latest changes to Housing and Council Tax Benefits. 'What's New in Housing and Council Tax Benefits'.
Online Benefits
For your convenience, you can use our online facility to Apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit or report Changes in your Circumstances.
New Claims
The online form has been specially designed to be easy to fill in and only asks questions which are relevant to your circumstances. It also highlights any errors, so you can be confident you have filled in the form correctly. Once you have registered your online claim you have 28 days to complete it.
**Please note: The online form works best using an Internet Explorer browser**
Use the online new claims facility or see if you may be entitled using our online Benefits Calculator.
Change of Circumstances
If you are getting Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, you must tell us if there is a change in your circumstances or those of anyone living in your household. You must tell us as soon as it happens, even if it is only for a short time. This is because it could affect the amount of benefit you get
For more information regarding Change of Circumstances please see Change of Circumstances (Benefits).
Or report any changes by using the online Change of Circumstances form.
Have Your Say on the Housing Benefit service
We would like your feedback on the Housing Benefit service, your experience and your comments on the future service delivery. Please visit www.westsomersetsays.com
Further Information
If you have any questions regarding benefits please contact the Benefits Section.
Telephone: 01643 703704
Email: benefits@westsomerset.gov.uk