Guidance

Housing Benefit adjudication circulars 2019

Adjudication circulars provide updates to the Housing Benefit guidance manual for local authority staff.

Documents

A1/2019: MGP1 form, Appendix A

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A1/2019: Reinstatement of Housing Benefit for claimants in receipt of Severe Disability Premium, Appendix B

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Details

Adjudication circulars provide advice, guidance and information on Housing Benefit to local authority staff. They update the Housing Benefit guidance manual.

The circulars make many references to Council Tax Benefit as this was administered by local authorities alongside Housing Benefit until March 2013. In April 2013 Council Tax Benefit was replaced by local authorities’ own council tax support and reduction schemes, removing DWP’s involvement.

Readers will need to consider references to Council Tax Benefit in these documents accordingly.

For enquiries about the distribution of circulars, email: housing.correspondenceandpqs@dwp.gov.uk

Updates to this page

Published 15 January 2019
Last updated 10 July 2019 + show all updates
  1. Revised circular A9/2019 with updated the guidance on what to do when an existing mixed age couple tries to make a new claim for Housing Benefit on or after 15 May 2019.

  2. Revised HBA5/2019 to provide clarity on the description of sheltered and extra care supported accommodation and which claims should be recorded, also revised HBA6/2019, paragraph 6 'the relationship between LAs and DWPs’ Fraud and Error Prevention Service'.

  3. Added circular A8/2019 Windrush Compensation Scheme and Housing Benefit. Corrected the email address in Annex A of circular A9/2019 for queries about mixed age couples in receipt of Housing Benefit with severe disability premium.

  4. Added circular A9/2019 Mixed Age Couples: Further guidance.

  5. Added Housing Benefit adjudication circulars A6/2019: Housing Benefit operational information, performance support and engagement 2019 to 2020, and A7/2019: The Social Security (Income-related Benefits) (Updating and Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

  6. Updated circular A5/2019. This had been published as a revised version of the circular sent to local authorities with an additional paragraph 16 about short term specified accommodation. The circular is not a revised version and paragraph 16 should not have been included in the online version.

  7. Added circular A5/2019 'Sheltered and extra care supported accommodation – New LA IT functionality requirement'. This is a revised version of the circular originally issued by email on 29 March 2019 with an additional paragraph 16.

  8. Added Housing Benefit adjudication circular A4/2019: Disguised remuneration schemes.

  9. Added Housing Benefit adjudication circular A3/2019 Mixed age couples: changes to entitlement conditions from 15 May 2019.

  10. Revised A2/2019 War pensions uprating: amended Armed Forces Independence Payment other ranks to £189.80 a week from April 2019.

  11. Added HB Circular A2/2019 War Pensions: Uprating 2019/20.

  12. Added paragraph 7 about claimants in a couple who get the higher amount of severe disability premium. Added paragraphs 9 to 11 about amendments to regulations.

  13. First published.

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