The Council administers a range of different benefits and can provide advice on benefits offered by agencies such as the Department of Work and Pensions. Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit are administered by the Benefits Section of East Renfrewshire Council. We have produced a  range of benefits leaflets which are available to download from this page (see right hand side).

Please phone us to ask about entitlement on
Tel: 0141 577 3677

Or come and visit us at either 211 Main Street, Barrhead G78 1XA or Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock G46 6UG.

Or e-mail us on

Our Social Work Department assists people with claims for the Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. Welfare Rights Officers (based in the Social Work Department) provide independent advice and support to anyone who thinks their benefit decision is wrong.

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is a social security benefit to help people on low incomes pay their rent.  Anyone who has to pay rent for their home can claim Housing Benefit.

How do I apply?

You can download a Council Tax Benefit Claim Form or contact the benefits office and we can send you out a form. We normally pay Housing Benefit from the Monday after we receive your claim, so you must claim as soon as you think you might be entitled to benefit.

What proof of identification do I need to bring along?

We must see original documents, not copies.

If you do not provide all the proof we need, we might not be able to pay you any benefit. We need the same proof for your partner, if you have one, and for any other adults living in your home. You need to bring along a proof of identity form.

I live in a Council House, how much of your rent do you use to work out my Housing Benefit?

If you live in a council house, we use the rent the Housing Section charges you to work out your Housing Benefit.  You may have to pay the Housing Section extra for things like communal heating or a garage but we cannot include these things in the rent we use to work out your Housing Benefit.

How much of your rent do we use to work out your Housing Benefit?

Private landlord

If you rent your home from a private landlord, we may not be able to pay your rent in full.  This is because the Rent Service have to decide how much of your rent we should use to work out your Housing Benefit. We also have to take into account what is included in your rent.

The Rent Service

Normally we have to ask the Rent Service to decide the rent we should use to work out your Housing Benefit.  The Rent Service look at whether your rent is more than a reasonable rent for your home. Even if they think your rent is reasonable, they will then look at whether it is more than the rent for similar properties in the area. If the Rent Service think your home is too large for your family, they will also look at whether you could rent somewhere smaller and cheaper.

‘Pre-tenancy determinations’

Before you decide to move into a property, it is important that you find out how much rent we will use to work out your Housing Benefit. You can do this by asking for a ‘pre-tenancy determination’.  This will help you decide whether you can afford to rent the property you are interested in.  To apply for a pre-tenancy determination, you will have to fill in a form and give details about the property you are thinking of renting.  The person who will be your landlord will also have to sign the form.

What information do we use to work out your benefit?

When we work out your Housing Benefit we take account of the following details.

  • How much money you have coming in each week.

  • How much you have in savings and investments.

  • Who lives in your household.

  • The circumstances of any other adults who live with you.

The income we use to work out your benefit:

If you get Guarantee Credit, Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, we do not count the amount of income you get. If you do not get Guarantee Credit, Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, we have to work out how much of your income we will count when we work out your benefit. If you, or your partner, are working, we count your pay but we take off any income tax and national insurance you pay.

We also take off half of any money you pay into a pension scheme.  If you work, we then take a set amount off your earnings depending on your circumstances. For example, if you are single, we take another £5 off and if you are a single parent, we take £25 off.  We count most other kinds of income but we do not count certain benefits, for example, Disability Living Allowance.

We also have to work out how much you have in savings and investments.  This includes things like shares, National Savings certificates and any other properties you own. If you and your partner are under 60, we do not count the first £3,000 of your savings and investments.  For every £250 you have over £3,000, we add £1 a week to your income.  For example, if your savings and investments are £4,150, we add £5 to your weekly income. Since 1 April 2001, if you, or your partner, are over 60, we do not count the first £6,000 of your savings and investments.  For every £500 you have over £6,000, we add £1 a week to your income. If your savings and investments are more than £16,000, you cannot get benefit.

Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit is a social security benefit to help people pay their Council Tax.There are two kinds of Council Tax Benefit.

  • Council Tax Benefit - we work this out on your circumstances.

  • Second Adult Rebate - we work this out on the circumstances of other adults who live with you.

Anyone who has to pay Council Tax can claim Council Tax Benefit. But you can only claim Second Adult Rebate if you are the only person who has to pay Council Tax for your home and you have other adults living with you.You cannot get Council Tax Benefit and Second Adult Rebate at the same time. If you are entitled to both benefits, you will get the one which takes the most money off your Council Tax bill.

Claiming Council Tax Benefit

You can download a Council Tax Benefit Form which is also available from the Benefits Section at Eastwood or Barrhead (visit us or phone us see contacts).

If you do not get Guarantee Credit, Income Support or income-based Jobseekers Allowance, you should fill in our claim form for Council Tax Benefit. We normally pay Council Tax Benefit from the Monday after we receive your claim. So you must claim as soon as you think you might be entitled to benefit.

What do I need to bring along for proof of identity?

We must see original documents, not copies.If you do not provide all the proof we need, we might not be able to pay you any benefit. We need the same proof for your partner, if you have one, and for any other adults living in your home.