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We need you to provide evidence to support your claim for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Support. The evidence you need to provide depends on the type of claim you are making. If you are already claiming and are reporting a change in your circumstances we only need to see evidence of what has changed.

To reduce the amount of information you need to supply, wherever possible we will use:

  • evidence you have provided to us before - for example for a previous claim
  • evidence you have provided to the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenues and Customs

Proof of income

Group 1 - we DO NOT need to see proof of these types of income

  • Benefits
    • Attendance Allowance
    • Bereavement Allowance
    • Child Benefit
    • Disability Living Allowance for you or your partner
    • Employment Support Allowance
    • Guardian's Allowance
    • Incapacity Benefit
    • Income Support
    • Jobseekers Allowance
    • Maintenance for your children
    • Maternity Allowance
    • Personal Independence Payment
    • Severe Disablement Allowance
  • Pensions
    • Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit)
    • Pension Credit (Savings Part)
    • State Retirement Pension
    • War Widows Pension
    • Widows Pension
  • Tax Credits
    • Child Tax Credit
    • Working Tax Credit

If you have an income in the group 1 list we will confirm your income by checking with the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenues and Customs.

Group 2 - we DO need to see proof of these types of income

  • Employed income
    • Wages
    • Self employed income
  • Benefits
    • Carers Allowance
    • Disability Living Allowance for children
    • Fostering allowance
    • Industrial Injuries/ Disability Benefit
    • Universal Credit
    • War Disablement Pension
  • Pensions
    • Occupational/private pensions
  • Other income
    • Maintenance for claimant and partner
    • Money from boarders, lodgers and subtenants
    • Student income

If you have an income in group 2 we will need to see the following:

  • if you are on Universal Credit, printouts, or screenshots of your Universal Credit award from your online journal. This must include all elements such as personal element and housing element, all income used in your award, all deductions, and the amount payable to you. These will show on your online journal under 'Home', then 'Payments'.
  • if you are working, your most recent payslips (either 5 weekly or 2 monthly ones) 
  • if you are receiving a benefit a letter showing your current benefit entitlement from Jobcentre Plus, or the Pension Service, or a bank statement showing the money being paid into your account
  • if you are self employed provide your last 12 months accounts, or complete a self employed certificate if you have not been trading for 12 months
  • for maintenance a letter from your ex partner confirming the amount, or a bank statement showing the money being paid into your account
  • if you receive a student loan or bursary, a letter from the organisation which pays you this money

Proof of capital

We only need to see proof of your capital if the total amount of your savings is more than £6000.

We can accept bank statements, passbooks, printouts of internet bank accounts, and certificates for stocks, shares and premium bonds.

Proof of rent

If you rent your home from Six Town Housing we will check with them how much rent you are charged. We need to see proof of your rent if you rent your home from anyone else.

This could be your tenancy agreement, your rent book, or a letter from your landlord.

Proof of your identity and National Insurance number

We need to confirm your identity and your National Insurance number unless you have made a claim for a benefit or a tax credit from the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenues and Customs. Therefore if you have an income in group 1 in the income list above you do not need to provide proof of your identity and National Insurance number.

If you have applied to us for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Support since 2006 we will use this claim to check your identity and National Insurance number.

If you have an income in group 2 and have not claimed with us since 2006 we need to see:

  • two documents to prove your identity
  • one document which shows your National Insurance number.

These could be a passport, a driving licence, a birth certificate, a wageslip or a utility bill.

Proof of outgoings

If you pay out for any of the following we will be able to take these into account when working out your benefit:

  • child care costs
  • private pensions
  • student grants

We need to see a contract with your childminder or nursery, and a letter from your pension company or student loan company confirming the amounts you pay out.