If some of your benefit entitlements come to an end because you have taken up employment, increased your hours of work or your earnings, you may be able to continue receiving housing benefit for an additional four week period.

There are two extended payments schemes, depending on the type of qualifying benefits you may have been getting.

• Payments for people on income-related benefits
• Payments for people on contributory benefits
• Who is eligible for extended payments?
• How do I apply for these payments?
• How much will I get?
• When do extended payments begin/stop?

Payments for people on income-related benefits

You may be able to get extended housing benefit payments if you were in receipt of one of the following qualifying benefits:

• Income support
• Jobseeker's allowance (income based)
• Employment and support allowance (income-related).

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Payments for people on contributory benefits

You may be able to get extended housing benefit payments if you were in receipt of:

• Incapacity benefit;
• Severe Disability Allowance;
• Employment and support allowance (contribution-based).

Employment and support allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008 for new claimants, replacing incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance.

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Who is eligible for extended payments?

To be eligible, you or your partner must have stopped receiving the above qualifying benefits after taking up a job, increasing your hours of work or increasing your earnings.

You will only be eligible if this new work arrangement is expected to last at least five weeks.

You must also have been in continuous receipt of one or more of these benefits for at least 26 weeks before your entitlement to them ceased.

People who were getting contributory benefits, along with an income-related benefit, in the week before their benefit payments stopped, may not be eligible for extended payments.

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How do I apply for these payments?

You do not need to formally apply for extended payments, as your change in work or earnings should be regarded as a change of circumstances.

When you notify the Housing Executive that your circumstances have changed, they should automatically consider if those circumstances make you eligible for extended payments.

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How much will I get?

If you are eligible, you will get at least the same amount of housing benefit that you received in the week before you started work or increased your hours of work.

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When do extended payments begin/stop?

Extended housing benefit payments are awarded for up to four weeks following the end of old benefits payments. Extended payments will usually begin on the first day of the new benefit week (following the week in which your entitlement to your old benefits stopped).

If your liability to pay rent or rates ends before the four week period is over, your extended payments will stop.

When your extended payments come to an end, you may still be entitled to some housing benefit, depending on your income.

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