Any Council Tax Reduction that you are entitled to will be put straight onto your Council Tax account. You will receive a new bill confirming how your Council Tax instalments have changed due to the Council Tax Reduction. For more information on how to make these payments or to sign up for a Direct Debit please visit our Council Tax payment page.

Housing Benefit

How your Housing Benefit is paid depends on the kind of tenancy that you have. Please note that payment days and dates may change slightly around bank holidays, Christmas and Easter.

Council Tenants

Your Housing Benefit will be paid every week directly to your rent account with Sandwell Housing It will be paid weekly on a Friday. You should change your payments to make sure that your rent account is kept up to date. If you are not sure about how much you should pay our Housing Team will be able to help you.

Housing Association/Registered Social Landlord Tenants

If you have a tenancy with one of these organisations you normally have a choice as to how Housing Benefit is paid. You can get the Housing Benefit paid directly into your bank account and make the rental payments yourself. You will receive your Housing Benefit every four weeks in arrears. This means that the payment that you receive will be for the four weeks that have just ended. Alternatively, you can ask for payments to be made directly to your landlord. Your landlord will receive Housing Benefit payments from us every four weeks in arrears. Please note that you will be responsible for paying your landlord any difference between the rent that is charged and your Housing Benefit.

Private Tenants

Most Private Tenants are paid under the Local Housing Allowance Scheme. You will receive your Housing Benefit payments direct to your bank account every two weeks in arrears. This means that the payment that you receive will be for the two weeks that have just ended.

The current Local Housing Allowance rates for Sandwell are shown below. The figures shown are the maximum amount payable and the actual Housing Benefit entitlement may be lower than the figure below. (All figures are weekly amounts):

 

 

Property size Black Country Area Birmingham Area
Shared property/Under 35's £73.64 £78.61
1 Bedroom £113.92 £159.95
2 Bedroom £143.84 £172.60
3 Bedroom £172.60 £189.86
4 Bedroom £212.88 £253.15

We can consider making Housing Benefit payments directly to your landlord if you have rent arrears or have difficulty managing your finances due to vulnerability. We can also make payments directly to your landlord where it is a condition of the tenancy and your rent is equal to or lower than your LHA rate. If payments are made directly to your landlord then they will be made every four weeks. Please note that if you have rent arrears of eight weeks or more then we are legally required to make the payments directly to your landlord.

Any payments made to your landlord will be paid four weekly in arrears.

Before October 1996 we used to pay Housing Benefit two weekly in advance. Anyone who has claimed continuously since before this date may still receive their Housing Benefit in this way.

Payment Dates 2024-25

All of customers who are in Housing Association or Privately Rented properties are paid on the same dates. The payment dates for the year 2024-25 are shown below:

Paid two-weekly in arrears
Date payment is made Period Payment is for
28 March 2024 18 March 2024 - 31 March 2024
15 April 2024 01 April 2024 - 14 April 2024
29 April 2024 15 April 2024 - 28 April 2024
13 May 2024 29 April 2024 - 12 May 2024
24 May 2024 13 May 2024 - 26 May 2024
10 June 2024 27 May 2024 - 09 June 2024
24 June 2024 10 June 2024 - 23 June 2024
08 July 2024 24 June 2024 - 07 July 2024
22 July 2024 08 July 2024 - 21 July 2024
05 August 2024 22 July 2024 - 04 August 2024
19 August 2024 05 August 2024 - 18 August 2024
02 September 2024 19 August 2024 - 01 September 2024
16 September 2024 02 September 2024 - 15 September 2024
30 September 2024 16 September 2024 - 29 September 2024
14 October 2024 30 September 2024 - 13 October 2024
28 October 2024 14 October 2024 - 27 October 2024
11 November 2024 28 October 2024 - 10 November 2024
25 November 2024 11 November 2024 - 24 November 2024
09 December 2024 25 November 2024 - 08 December 2024
23 December 2024 09 December 2024 - 22 December 2024
06 January 2025 23 December 2024 - 05 January 2025
20 January 2025 06 January 2025 - 19 January 2025
03 February 2025 20 January 2025 - 02 February 2025
17 February 2025 03 February 2025 - 16 February 2025
03 March 2025 17 February 2025 - 02 March 2025
17 March 2025 03 March 2025 - 16 March 2025
31 March 2025 17 March 2025 - 30 March 2025
Paid four-weekly in arrears
Date payment is made Period Payment is for
28 March 2024 04 March 2024 - 31 March 2024
29 April 2024 01 April 2024 - 28 April 2024
24 May 2024 29 April 2024 - 26 May 2024
24 June 2024 27 May 2024 - 23 June 2024
22 July 2024 24 June 2024 - 21 July 2024
19 August 2024 22 July 2024 - 18 August 2024
16 September 2024 19 August 2024 - 15 September 2024
14 October 2024 16 September 2024 - 13 October 2024
11 November 2024 14 October 2024 - 10 November 2024
09 December 2024 11 November 2024 - 08 December 2024
06 January 2025 09 December 2024 - 05 January 2025
03 February 2025 06 January 2025 - 02 February 2025
03 March 2025 03 February 2025 - 02 March 202531 March 2025 03 March 2025 - 30 March 2025