Benefits when you are away from your home

Normally, we will only pay housing benefit and council tax support while you are living at your property. However in some cases we can continue paying benefit if you are temporarily away from your home. We can consider paying benefit for up to 13 weeks providing:

• you are already in receipt of housing benefit or council tax support at your home,

• you intend to return,

• the property is not re let in your absence, and

• you don't claim housing benefit somewhere else.

You may be able to claim help while you are away from home for up to 52 weeks if you:

• are a patient in hospital, receiving medically approved care, treatment or convalescence;

• are in a care home, for example for respite care - if you go to a care home on a trail basis to see if it is suitable, you can only continue to receive benefit for 13 weeks at your old address.

• are providing care for a child whose parent or guardian is receiving medical treatment;

• have left your home due to fear of violence; or

• are a prisoner on remand - please note if you are sentenced the length of time we can pay your benefit at your old address drops to 13 weeks.

Let us know if you are going to be absent from your home for a period, and you still want to claim housing benefit and council tax support. If we find out you have left and we don't know you intend to return we will have to stop your claim.

If you decide not to return to your property we need to know as soon as you have made this decision.

Please use the link on the right hand side of this page to our change in circumstances form, if you need to tell us you have moved out of your property.

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