Help to pay your mortgage if you're on benefits - In England

The rules about help with housing costs for owner-occupiers on benefits have changed.

You can get help with certain housing costs if you are an owner-occupier and get one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

The help is called Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI).

From 5 January, new claimants will only have to wait 13 weeks before SMI is paid. The 13-week period applies not just to new claimants but to people who have already made a claim for SMI and who previously had to wait for 26 or 39 weeks, depending on their circumstances. A new two-year time limit on getting SMI has been introduced but only for new and some repeat income-based JSA cases.

If you were already getting SMI under the old rules, you'll carry on getting it under those rules.

The limit on the size of the loan also increases to £200,000 for most claimants.

You can also get SMI with Pension Credit but the rules for Pension Credit claimants have not changed in the same way.

For more information about Income Support, see Help for people on a low income – income support.
For more information about income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, see Benefits for people looking for work.
For more information about Employment and Support Allowance, see Benefits for people who are sick or disabled.
For more information about Pension Credit, see Benefits for people over sixty.

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