Benefits advice and assessment

What is 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 much of your rent can we use to work out your Housing Benefit?

If you live in a council house, we use the rent the Housing Department charges you to work out your Housing Benefit.

You may have to pay the Housing Department 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.

If you rent your home from a private landlord, we normally have to ask the Rent Service to decide how much rent we can use to work out your Housing Benefit. Our leaflet, ‘The rent we use to work out your Housing Benefit’, gives more information about the work of the Rent Service.

What is 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.

Help and advice

If you need any advice about claiming Housing or Council Tax Benefit, please get in touch with us.

Here are the ways you can get in touch with us.

By phone: 0141 577 3677

Fax: 0141 577 3255

You can phone this number Monday to Thursday from 8.45am to 4.45pm. Friday 8.45am to 3.55pm.

In person: Customer Service Officers are available Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6pm at Council Headquarters, Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock or Barrhead Council Offices, 211 Main Street, Barrhead.

E-mail: (For general enquiries only.)

By letter:

Benefits Section
Barrhead Council Offices
Finance Department
211 Main Street
Barrhead
G78 1YS