Benefits

There is one claim form for housing benefit, council tax benefit and second adult rebate.

To make a claim for housing benefit and/or council tax benefit you will need to complete an application form, which you can download from this website or you can contact us  if you would like us to send you a paper copy.

Once completed, you can post us your claim form or bring it to us at the Council offices in Princes Road, Maldon.

Need help? One hour service and appointments available

If you are making a new claim for benefit we suggest that you contact us to book an appointment to come in with your completed claim form and all of the required information.  If you do, then we aim to deal with your benefit claim within one hour of receiving it.  Read more about our "One Hour" service.

You can also visit our Outreach Services which take place across the District including the One Place offices in Burnham-on-Crouch and Southminster.

We also recommend that you use our online benefit calculator (this will open in a new window).  This will help you to work out if you might be entitled to benefit before you complete and provide us with the paper claim form.

The DirectGov website also has an online benefits adviser which can help you get benefit advice for you and your family or for someone else. Simply answer questions anonymously online about your savings, income and outgoings.  You can also read more about other help and advice available including a free benefit check from the local Citizens Advice Bureau in Maldon.

How to complete the paper claim form for housing benefit and council tax benefit:

Please read the questions on the form carefully and fill in the sections clearly using ink. Please answer all of the relevant questions on the form. Your benefit may be affected and delayed if you do not.

Please make sure you understand the declaration on the form before you and your partner sign it.

If you need help in completing the benefit form or you have any questions please contact us.

• Return the form as quickly as possible with all of the necessary documents to support the claim.  Any delay could mean you lose benefit 
• If you do not provide all the documents we need (such as proof of your income, identity, rent or savings), we might not be able to pay you any benefit
• We need the same documents for your partner, if you have one. If you cannot send the documents we need at the moment, send the form back to us now and send the documents at a later date. We can start to process your claim, but we will not be able to pay you any benefit until we have all the documentation
• If you wish to send your documents in the post, these will be copied or scanned and the original documents will be sent back to you, normally within 24 hours of us receiving them

Please note we must protect public funds, so we may use the information you provide on the application form to prevent and detect fraud. We may also share this information, for the same purposes, with other organisations that handle public funds.

You should tell us immediately if you have any changes in circumstance as this could affect the amount of benefit you receive. Contact us to tell us about any changes or complete and return the change in circumstance form as soon as possible.