Housing Benefit appeals

How to appeal

Contact us to appeal a decision we have made about your Housing Benefit claim. You must contact us within 1 calendar month of the date of your award letter. Any later than that, and we may not be able to consider your appeal.

You can either:

• Ask for an explanation 
• Ask us to look at the decision again 
• Appeal against the decision - this must be done in writing  

If you appeal against the decision, your appeal will be heard by an independent tribunal administered by the Independent Appeals Tribunal. Visit the government's Justice website for more details.

Contact us to appeal

You can contact us by

• Emailing: benefits@wokingham.gov.uk
• Writing to us at: Revenues and Benefits, Wokingham Borough Council, PO Box 152, Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1WJ

What if I'm still not happy with the decision?

If you have already asked for an explanation or asked us to look at the decision again you can still appeal. You must write to us saying which decision you are appealing against and giving your reasons.

If you wish to appeal a decision outside of the 1 calendar month time limit, you must write to us requesting acceptance of a late appeal. You must let us know your reasons for your lateness in appealing. The person making the late appeal must sign the request. It must be received by us within an absolute time limit of 13 months of the date the decision was notified to you.

What happens after the decision is looked at again?

If the decision can be changed we will send you a new decision. If we can't change the decision we will tell you why. If you still disagree, you have 1 more month to appeal, from the date of the new decision. You will be asked to complete a form GL24, which we will pass to the Appeals Service.