Evidence Needed

When making a claim for Benefit, the council has to verify the circumstances and identity of you and your household.  The information you provide on your claim form has to be supported by evidence.  Previously, this evidence was in the form of original documents supporting the information you have provided.

When processing Housing and Council Tax Benefit we have a duty to protect public funds and to protect your personal information under the Data Protection Act.  For more information, please click on the link below:

Fair Processing Statement and Fraud Notice

However, since 27th January 2009 Bromsgrove District Council have been piloting a new way of verifying information over the phone called Voice Risk Analysis (VRA).  This process has been introduced to reduce the amount of time it takes to process a Benefit claim and, in most circumstances, to remove the need for the customer to provide documentary evidence relating to the circumstances of them self and their household.  However, in all instances documentary evidence of identity will still need to be provided and in some instances, you may still be asked to provide additional documentary evidence.

For more information about VRA and the new processes, please click on the link below.  It is important that you read about the new processes before sending in additional documentary evidence. 

VRA

If you have any questions about the VRA process, please contact one of our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.

As stated above, in all instances you will be required to provide documentary evidence of the identity and national insurance number of you and your partner prior to a claim being paid.  If this is not provided, you will not be paid Benefit. 

National Insurance Number

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) national insurance number.  You must provide at least one item:

- National Insurance Card

- Notice from the Inland Revenue such as a P45 / P60

- Printed payslips (handwritten ones are not acceptable)

- Letters from Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service or The Department for Work and Pensions.

- Letters regarding Tax Credits

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Identity

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) identity.  In addition to proof of national insurance number, you must provide at least one of the following items:

- Driving License

- Passport

- Utility Bill

- Birth / Marriage certificates

- Medical Cards

- Bank statements showing current address

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Rent

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) rent liability:

- Valid signed tenancy agreement

- letter from your landlord or housing association confirming details of your tenancy, i.e. name, address, period of tenancy, date moved in, amount of rent due, frequency of rent charged, details of charges included within the rent (such as gas, electric, meals, telephone etc) and details of any rent arrears, if applicable.

As well as proof of rent liability, we may also need to see proof of the rent you have paid.  This can be in the form of the following:

- current rent book

- current rent receipts

- bank statements showing the payment of rent being made

- a letter from your landlord / housing association confirming the current situation regarding the rent you have paid.

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Earnings

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) earnings:

- Last 5 weekly / 3 fortnightly or 2 monthly payslips, depending on how you are paid.

- A detailed letter from your employer confirming your weekly pay showing your gross pay as well as tax, national insurance and pension deductions.

- A completed certificate of earnings form signed and verified by your employer.

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Self Employed Earnings

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) self-employed earnings:

- a copy of your most recent business accounts

- a clear break down of your business self employed income and expenditure

- completion of a self employed declaration of earnings

- receipts and invoices for business income and expenditure.

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Pensions

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) pensions:

- A letter from the Pension Service confirming your current pension amount.

- A bank statements showing the pension payment being paid in.

- A letter from your pension provider detailing your current private pension.

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Benefits

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) Benefits:

- Current entitlement letter from The Pension Service

- Current entitlement letter from The Department for Work and Pensions

- Current entitlement letter from The Jobcentre Plus

- Current entitlement letter from The Child Support Agency

- Current entitlement letter from the Inland Revenue.

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Other Income

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) income, other than that already stated above:

- Official documentation from those paying the income confirming how much is paid, how often, when it started, when it is due to end and what it is for.

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Capital

The following is a list of documents that can be accepted as valid proof of you and your partners (if applicable) capital:

- Last 2 months statements and passbooks showing the last 2 months entries for all bank / building society accounts

- Certificates / Documents confirming details of any other capital held, i.e share certificate.

- If we require valuation of land or property we will contact you separately regarding this as the capital we take into account may vary depending on your personal circumstances.  Please speak to our customer advisors for more information on this.

This list is not exhaustive.  If you have any other documentation and would like to check and see if it is acceptable, please contact our customer advisors on (01527) 881288.  Please note, original documents must be provided in all instances.  Photocopies, unless verified and signed by an authorised officer, will not be accepted.

Other Evidence that may be needed.

Child Care Costs

If you are working more than 16 hours, we may be able to take into account any payments you make to a registered child minder if your child is under 16 years old.  However, if you have a partner you must both be working more than 16 hours per week or one of you must be treated as being disabled for this disregard to apply.  We require the following evidence in support of Child Care costs for them to be considered:

- A letter / contract from the child minder / nursery confirming the following:

                             - Name and Address of Child Minder and their registration number

                             - Full name and date of birth of the child being cared for.

                             - Amount being paid for child care and the frequency it is paid

                             - details of any changes to the agreement for term / non term times

- Proof of the Child Care Costs that have been paid, i.e. receipts / letter from the child minder or nursery

Proof of payment to a pension scheme

If you are working, half of any contributions towards a payment scheme may be taken in to account when calculating Benefit.  To do this, we will require the following evidence:

- A letter from the pension company detailing the amount and frequency of your pension payment

- a clear entry on your payslip showing the amount(s) deducted.

Non Dependant Income

If you have any non dependants living in your property (click here to find information about non dependants), we will also need to see evidence of their income and capital.  Please refer to the list above for details of acceptable items.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE ABOVE LIST IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE SORT OF INFORMATION WE WOULD NORMALLY ASK FOR.  IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE IN ADDITION TO THAT STATED ABOVE MAY BE NEEDED.  IF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND / OR EVIDENCE IS NEEDED, WE SHALL CONTACT YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO PREVENT ANY UNDUE DELAY IN THE PROCESSING OF YOUR CLAIM.