If you have a Suffolk Coastal Council Tax account number you can
use our new service to make a claim for Housing Benefit and or
Council Tax Benefit over the Internet. This online service is
available 24 hours a day, 7days a week - but you do need a
Council Tax account number to use it.
Before you make a claim
Read our webpages to find out about Housing and Council Tax Benefit
and get an indication of your entitlement to benefit (new window) by
using the online calculator. If you think you may qualify for
benefit you can make your claim using the online application
form.
Important - for any benefit to be paid to you,
you will need to let us have details of an account where the
benefit can be paid into. We are unable to pay you Housing Benefit
or Council Tax Benefit by cheque.
Using the online application form
The form will help and guide you to ensure that you only fill in
parts that are relevant to your own claim. It checks itself for
errors and highlights anything you have missed.
You can save your form and go back to it and edit it before you
submit it to us. If you save your form you will be asked to create
a password and you will be given a reference number which you need
to make a note of so that you can go back to your form.
Important - This authority is under a duty to
protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use
the information you have provided on this form for the prevention
and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with
other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds
for these purposes. Follow this link for more
information about the national fraud
initiative.
Make a new claim or edit a saved form (opens in
a new window)
If you prefer to use more traditional methods of claiming you
can call the Council’s Benefits Team on 01394
444838, who will be happy to explain what you need to do,
or you can
print off an application form (new window PDF
185KB) to complete by hand.
Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.
What happens next?
Once you have submitted your form we will check it for you, and
process your application. We will write and tell you the amount of
help you are entitled to (if any) in paying your Council Tax and/or
rent. Later, we will make an appointment to visit you at home. The
Visiting Officer will ask you to sign a copy of the form and
confirm your identity. They will also ask to see the documents
verifying your personal financial circumstances.
View your benefit claim details online
When we have processed your application and notified you of your
benefit claim you can
register to use our online service to view
details of your claim
online.