Doncaster Council

How to backdate a claim

You can claim Housing Benefit for a past period - called backdating.

A claim can only be backdated for maximum of:

• 6 months from the date of your claim for backdated benefit if you are under 60 years of age, or

• 3 months from the date of your claim for backdated benefit if you are 60 years of age or more.

If you are 60 years of age or more we will automatically consider backdating your claim for the 3 months prior to the date you made your claim.

If you are under 60 years of age, in order for a claim to be backdated we must be satisfied that:

• you have shown good cause for failing to claim earlier and 

• that good cause existed continuously during the period for which backdating is being requested 

You will need to show continuous good cause for not claiming earlier and we must be satisfied that your circumstances, during this time were such that any reasonable person of your age and experience would also have failed to claim benefit.

You have to prove "good cause" but we must take account of all the facts of your case.

Some examples of when you may have "good cause" are:

• If you did not immediately claim benefit after leaving hospital 
• If you were ill and had no-one to make a claim on your behalf 
• If you did not understand that you could claim benefit perhaps because of age, inexperience or language difficulties. 
• If you have suffered a recent family bereavement.   

What happens when a backdated claim is made

Your claim will be considered by a Benefits Officer. The more information and evidence you give in support of your claim the quicker a decision can be made.

Sometimes it may be necessary to write to you for more information or to ask you to come in for an informal interview. 

Your claim will be looked at as soon as possible and you will be sent a letter telling you of our decision.

If we have decided that you have not shown "good cause" and that we cannot backdate your claim, the reasons for this will be explained in our letter.

Making a claim

A request to backdate a claim must be in writing. You can attach a letter when you send in your claim form for benefit or send a letter in separately. Do this as soon as you realise you want to ask for a backdate, as we can only go back the maximum period from when we receive your backdate request.

If you prefer, you can call into one of our offices and make a statement to ask for a claim to be backdated. 

Alternatively, you can print off, complete and return the form below. If you need any help or advice about backdates please get in touch with us using the contact details at the top of the page.

• Backdate benefit request