Housing benefits payments schedule

The dates through the year when your benefit will be paid.

2024 to 2025

Housing benefit payment is made in arrears

Once your Housing Benefit has been assessed you will receive your money either every two weeks in arrears or four weeks in arrears.

This means that you will have to have had an active benefit claim for two or four weeks before you receive any money. Housing Benefit Payments cannot be paid in advance.

Payments made two weeks in arrears - private

If you are a private tenant (renting from a letting agent or direct from the owner) you will receive benefit payments every two weeks in arrears. Benefit payments are generally made directly to you via your nominated bank or building society account.

Your Landlord or his Agent has the right to ask for payments to go directly to themselves if you fall more than eight weeks in arrears. If they can prove you have these arrears we have a legal duty to pay them directly.

Payments made four weeks in arrears - housing association

If you are renting your home from a housing association or social landlord, usually we will pay them directly every four weeks in arrears.

You can ask for payments to go directly to yourself (every two weeks in arrears) but most Housing Associations prefer to have payments go directly to them.

Vulnerable claimants in private accommodation

If you or your representative feels you are vulnerable, benefit can be paid to the landlord. Any request for payments to be made to the landlord will need to be supported by a third party like a social worker or a GP.

53 weeks rent year

There will be 53 Mondays in the financial year from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 instead of the usual 52, with the last Monday on 31 March 2025. This is known as a 53-week year.

This happens because if you multiply the seven days in a week by 52, it adds up to 364 days - not 365, which is how many days there are in a year. And in a leap year there are only 363 days.

These extra days accumulate to add another week to the year every five or six years, meaning there are 53 weeks in the year, instead of 52.

How this affects housing rents

Housing rent is calculated weekly, starting on a Monday. So, when there are 53 Mondays in a year, there is an extra week of rent to pay.

Who it affects

This will impact all tenants, whether you pay rent weekly or monthly.

If you receive Housing Benefit this extra week will be covered by Housing Benefit.

If you pay your own rent, you will need to cover the cost of this extra week.

If you receive Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will not cover the extra week of rent – you will need to pay it.

What you need to do

• if you pay weekly will need to pay for 53 weeks 
• if you pay your rent monthly, multiply your weekly rent by 53 weeks then divide by 12 (this will be what you must pay every month)
• if you pay your rent every four weeks, multiply your weekly rent by 53 then divide by 13 payments (this will be what you must pay every four weeks)

If you are on Universal Credit

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) only pay up to 52 weeks of rent per year and they work out the weekly rent for those on Universal Credit by taking the total yearly amount and dividing it by 52 weeks. For example, £5,200 per year divided by 52 weeks is £100.00 per week rent.

Unfortunately, the DWP have confirmed that they will not pay for the 53rd week. This means you will need to pay for the additional week yourself.

To reduce the impact, we recommend you pay a little extra each week over the year. For example, if you pay £100 a week for your rent, you could divide this by 53 weeks and pay an extra £1.89 a week for 53 weeks.

If you are not happy about Universal Credit not covering the extra week

Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do as you will still be responsible and liable as the tenant to pay the extra week of rent that the Department for Work and Pensions have said Universal Credit won’t cover. If you don’t pay, you will end up in arrears.