Provide evidence for Housing Benefit and Council Tax support

Whether you are making a new claim, or notifying us of a change in your circumstances, we will require evidence to support your claim/change. All evidence must be provided within one calendar month of a change or submitting a new claim. Below is a list of common evidence that will be requested from you

For you and other household members we will need to see proof of identity, such as:

• birth certificate
• marriage certificate
• passport
• medical card
• driving licence
• UK residence permit
• EEC identity card
• national insurance number card

What you provide will depend on how often you are paid:

• if you or a household member are paid weekly, you must send us the five most recent wage slips
• if you or a household member are paid fortnightly, you must send us the three most recent wage slips
• if you or a household member are paid monthly you must send us the two most recent wage slips
• if you or a household member have just started a job and do not have any wage slips please provide your contract of employment/confirmation letter confirming your salary

All wage slips must be consecutive.

If you are required to provide evidence of self-employed earnings then we will contact you for further information.

For other types of income, you’ll need to provide evidence of the income that you or a member of your household receives. This could be:

• a P45
• a P60
• pension slips from a former employer
• benefit award letters
• student grant or loan award letters
• proof of maintenance payments

If you or a member of your household receive Employment & Support Allowance, Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support or Universal Credit you do not need to provide us with proof unless requested to do so.

If you and your partner (if you have one) have less than £6,000 total capital, we don’t need you to provide proof. You must have listed all your capital and told us the value of each. If you have more than £6,000 we will need to see proof such as statements covering the last 2 months for all accounts held. For all other investments and capital, provide certificates or other documentation.

If you have expenses to pay out for, such as childcare, please arrange for your childcare provider to complete the childcare cost form.

If you make a parental contribution to a student, please provide proof of the amount you have to pay if the care is provided in term-time only.

For housing benefit new claims (or changes of address/rent), we’ll need to see a current tenancy agreement showing all of the following:

• full name and address of your landlord
• tenancy start date
• the amount of rent charged
• breakdown of any services included in the rent

A recent rent increase letter or your rent book can also be provided.

If you are reporting the birth of a child or a child moving in, we need to see their birth certificate.

If you are reporting someone in household moving out, we need to confirm their new address.

If you have reported more than one change, you will need to provide the evidence detailed above for each of your changes in circumstances.

Please note: This list is not exhaustive, should we require additional evidence, we may contact you via phone, post, text or email, depending on the contact details you have provided. If you have provided an email address, please ensure you regularly check your mailbox, including any junk or spam folders you have.