If you wish to claim Housing and or Council Tax Benefit from a date prior to your application, you will need to ask for this in writing, explaining the reasons why you did not claim earlier. You will need to show that you had ‘good cause’ for not claiming throughout the whole of the period that you wish to claim for.
Each claim for backdated benefit is considered on an individual basis. We will also look at other things that may have affected your ability to claim sooner, such as age, health and extenuating circumstances. It is very important that you give us as much information as possible. We will treat all the information you supply in the strictest confidence.
The maximum length of time a claim can be backdated is 6 months for working age customers and 3 months for pensioners.
