Council Tax Benefit Backdated Claim
When can my benefit be backdated?
We normally pay benefit from the Monday after we receive your
claim form. It may be possible to backdate your claim if you can
show ‘Good Cause’ as to why you did not claim earlier. You must be
able to satisfy us that you had ‘Good Cause’ for the whole period
that you are asking for backdating to be granted for. If we are
satisfied with the explanation you give, we can backdate your
claim, but we can’t backdate your claim for more than 52 weeks from
the date we receive your backdating request. The 52-week rule is
set by the Government and all Local Authorities must follow it.
What is ‘Good Cause’?
‘Good Cause’ is something that prevented you from being able to
make your claim at the right time. Unfortunately, just ‘not
knowing’ that you could have made a claim is not, by itself, a good
enough reason to allow backdating.
Examples of ‘Good Cause’ could be that:
- You were ill
- You were in hospital
- You were unavoidably away from home
- You were unable to manage your affairs
- You had a family crisis
- You had difficulties because English is not your first
language
We do look at each case individually but can only make a
decision based on the information you give to us, so it
is important that you give us as much information as you can
to support your request for backdating.
In order to backdate your benefit we must be satisfied that a
reasonable person of your age, health and experience would have
acted in the same way as you did.
What do I need to do next?
Write to Benefits Services at the address below, telling us why
you think we should backdate your benefit, making sure you give us
as much detail as possible to help us make our decision. There is
section on the claim form which you can complete if you would like
to request backdating.
I have made a claim for backdating, what happens
next?
Based on the information you have provided, we will decide
whether or not we are able to backdate your benefit. When we have
made the decision we will write to you.
What if I do not agree with your
decision?
If we refuse your request, you can ask us for a reconsideration
of our decision. You must do this in writing stating your reason,
to :
Benefits Sevices
Ashford Borough Council
Civic Centre, Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent TN23 1PL
This webpage was updated on
12/3/2007