Benefits@thanet.gov.uk

Phone:

from 9am to 5.30pm.  If your family name begins:

A-Don call (01843) 577554

Doo-Ker call
(01843) 577555

Kes-Ric call
(01843) 577556

Rid-Z call (01843) 577551

Fax: 01843 577532

or Visit our offices

Discretionary Housing Payments 

Discretionary Housing Payments are extra payments made to top-up your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit (or both). They are paid as well as your normal benefit entitlement. As Discretionary Housing Payments are not payments of benefit, we are able to decide who to give this extra help to, and how much to give.

Who can get Discretionary Housing Payments?

Anyone, as long as you are getting either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit (or both). You can apply for extra money only for each sort of benefit that you get. There are no set circumstances, but you will need to prove to us that you are in need of further help.

We are given a limited amount of money by the Government to make these extra payments, so we have to be very careful how we award it. Once this money has been used up we will not be able to give extra payments, however good your reasons are.

How much can I get, and how long for?

The amount of Discretionary Housing Payment you get, and length of time it is given to you, is decided by us. It can start and stop at any time during your claim, and may be backdated.

The amount that we pay you, when added to your Housing Benefit, cannot be more than your full rent less any services that benefit will not pay towards.

The amount that we pay you, when added to your Council Tax Benefit, cannot be more than the total Council Tax charged for your home.

How do I apply for these extra payments?

Please write to the Benefits Service for a Discretionary Housing Payment form.

After you fill in and return this form to us, we will write telling you of our decision.

What can I do if I am unhappy with your decision?

If you are unhappy with our decision you can appeal against it. Your appeal must be in writing, and must be received by us within one month of the date of the letter we sent you telling you of our decision. You must give us the reasons why you are unhappy with our decision.

A Senior Officer will then look at your appeal, and we will write to you again telling you of our decision.