Just one form is all that's needed to apply for:

• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit
• Both Housing and Council Tax Benefit: or
• Second Adult Rebate

for properties within the Wakefield area.  If you are unsure whether the property you wish to claim for is in the Wakefield Council area, please see the "Where I Live" section or contact us.

You can claim in a number of different ways:

Online 

Use our online form. It’s the quickest and easiest way to claim. Remember to make a note of your unique reference number in case you need to return to your form later to finish it.

By telephone 

Call us on 0845 8 504 504 – one of our advisors will call you back to complete a form over the telephone.

In person

Call in to our reception at Civic Centre, Ferrybridge Road, Castleford WF10 4JH. Alternatively, we can visit you. Call us on 0845 8 504 504 to arrange a convenient time.

Or you can visit your local WDH Service Access Point. You can find these at:

• Wood Street, Wakefield
• George-A-Green Road, Lupset
• High Street, Normanton
• Carlton St, Castleford
• Stansfield Road, Airedale
• Town Hall, Ossett
• Stanley Street, Eastmoor
• Horsefair, Pontefract
• Exchange Street, South Elmsall

If you have made a new claim for other benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance (Income Based) or Income Support, Jobcentre plus may have completed a claim with you. 

When should I claim?

Now! A late claim could mean you lose out on money you are entitled to. We usually pay benefit from the Monday after we receive your form. If you know your circumstances are going to change, you can claim up to 13 weeks before you need help.

It is important you claim as soon as you think you may need help. Usually we can only backdate claims if there is a reason (good cause) why you were unable to apply for help earlier. If there is a reason you could not claim earlier, you need to tell us.

Does it matter who I rent from?

Renting from a Housing Association?
If you rent from a Housing Association, we can look at helping with your rent, excluding some service charges such as water rates.

Renting from a Private Landlord?
We work benefit out differently if you rent from a private landlord, but you can still claim. If you live in privately rented accommodation, your benefit will be worked out using Local Housing Allowance (LHA). This is based on the number of bedrooms needed by your household (regardless of the number of rooms in your home and how much your rent is)

For more information about Local Housing Allowance and what rate you could receive, visit:
https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/secure/default.aspx

Living with your landlord or renting from a relative?
If you rent from a relative or live with your landlord, you need to tell us. We may need more information from you.