If you want to claim Housing Benefit as well as Council Tax Benefit then you only need to complete one application form. We will work out your entitlement to both these benefits at the same time.
If you are already claiming Council Tax Benefit and are moving to another property in Bolton you need to complete a change of address form as this is treated as a change in circumstances.
People who do not need to apply direct to Bolton Council
You may have already made your claim for Council tax benefit when you applied for one of these benefits:
- Income Support or;
- Job Seekers Allowance Income Based or;
- Employment Support Allowance or;
- Pension Credit
Sometimes the Department for Work and Pensions office may need to send you an extra application form to complete so that you can claim Council Tax Benefit.
They will tell you if they are going to send you a form and where to send the form back to.
People who must apply direct to Bolton Council
If you have not made a claim for one of the above benefits then you need to complete an application form.
There are a number of ways to claim:
- On line (select the Benefit calculator link on the right then follow the instructions)
- Call into the One Stop Shop where we can assist you to complete a claim
- Ring us to claim over the phone and we will do the hard work for you
- Pick up a form from one of the Council’s offices
If you want us to send you a form then contact us.
The next steps
Unless you have completed an on line application you must get your form to us as soon as possible.
You also need to provide evidence to back up the information in your claim. Details of the kinds of things you need to provide will be detailed when you claim on line or listed in the paper application form.
Don’t worry if you’ve not got everything we need; send in what you have now and you can provide the rest later.
If you can provide all the proof we need straight away then we may be able to fast track your claim. See the Housing Benefit fast track page for more details