KEY FACTS:
- As soon as you become aware that HB has stopped for a claimant it is a good idea to contact them as soon as possible to find out why it's stopped.
- If the HB payments have stopped because a working age claimant (or one of a mixed age couple) has had a change in their circumstances, then you will need to work out whether this means they now need to claim Universal Credit instead. See Routes to UC section.
- If the HB has stopped as a result of claiming UC, this is because the LA will have received a "Stop Notice" from the DWP. Note that unless the claimant is living in or moving to 'specified' or 'temporary' accommodation, there is no way back onto HB once UC has been claimed - even if no stop notice was sent or the UC claim has been withdrawn (the only potential exception is where a 'protected' Mixed Age Couple on Pension Credit claimed UC by mistake - click here).
- If they have had a change in circumstances that means they do need to claim Universal Credit^, then it is worth ensuring that they have received their full HB entitlement i.e. right up to the day before they claimed UC- including any two week run-on (click here) that they may be entitled to.
- If they have not had a change in their circumstances, or not had a change that would normally trigger the need to claim Universal Credit, and they should still be entitled to HB, then it is worth looking to see if they can get their HB award de-suspended / reinstated.
^NOTE: not all changes in circumstances will trigger a new claim -
click here - or see our "mapping tool"
here).