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Discretionary housing payments

This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. This page applies to Scotland only. Get advice relating to England

If you get some housing benefit or council tax benefit but are having difficulty paying the rest of your rent yourself, you may be able to get a discretionary housing payment.

What is a discretionary housing payment?

A discretionary housing payment can be paid to you if:

you already get housing and/or council tax benefit, and
there is a shortfall between your benefit and your rent charge or council tax charge which you have to pay yourself, and
you are having difficulty paying the shortfall.

Who can get a discretionary housing payment?

There are no rules, other than the ones above, about who can get discretionary housing payments. Each housing/council tax benefit department is given a pot of money and they are allowed to decide who should be given the payments.

The housing/council tax benefit department will usually take into account any special circumstances that contribute to your financial difficulties, for example, if:

you have to pay child maintenance
you have to pay legal costs
you have extra heating costs because you spend a lot of time at home because you are sick or disabled
you have additional travel costs because you travel to a doctor or hospital or you care for a relative or friend.

How can I claim?

You will have to fill in a claim form. You will be able to get this by phoning or popping into your local council office. Be sure to ask for a discretionary housing payment form, as it is different to the form that you will have filled in when you first claimed housing or council tax benefit. If you need any help, use the Advice Services Directory to find a housing aid centre, welfare rights agency or Citizens Advice Bureau near you.

What information should I send with the claim?

You will be asked to give evidence of your expenditure, that is, the money you have going out. This could be a copy of a bill or your bank statements. You should also provide any information about your circumstances that make things difficult for you financially.