Depending on your circumstances, you could be owed benefit from before the date you actually applied.

Please read the information below carefully. It may mean you get extra money.

1. When should my benefit start?

Benefit usually starts on the Monday after you make a claim. You make your claim to either the Department of Work and Pensions for Income Support or to us.

However, there are circumstances when benefit can start at an earlier date.

2. What are these circumstances?

Firstly, you must ask us to backdate your claim.

3. How do I do that?

Tell us why you think we should backdate your benefit. You can use a special form or just write to us. If you find this difficult or you would like some help, please ask us. We will be happy to help you. Or you can get help from an advice agency such as the Citizens' Advice Bureau.

4. What happens then?

When you tell us why you did not claim earlier, we decide if you have given us 'good cause'. This is because the Benefit regulations say that we must backdate your benefit for up to 52 weeks before the date you claimed if you prove that you had good cause for not claiming throughout that period.

To backdate your claim, we must be satisfied that a reasonable person of your age, health and experience would have acted in the same way as you did. This is known as proving 'good cause' for making a late claim.

5. What is considered to be 'good cause' ?

We look at each case individually. So it is important that we know all the relevant details before we make a decision.

'Good cause' can mean different things. Here are some examples of good cause which have been used successfully to get benefit backdated.

- If you were waiting for a decision on another benefit.

- If you did not immediately claim or reclaim benefit after leaving hospital.

- If you were ill.

- If you could not have been reasonably expected to know of your rights.

- If you did not understand that you could claim - perhaps because of your age, inexperience, language problems, difficulty in understanding technical documents or some other reason.

- If you are wrongly told that you were not entitled to benefit.

- If you could not manage your affairs.

Please remember that this is not a complete list. You give us the reasons why you did not claim earlier and if we think it proves 'good cause' we will backdate your benefit.

Will you tell me your decision?

Yes. We will look carefully at your reasons and decide whether you have proved 'good cause' for the whole of the period you did not claim or for part of it. We will then write to you and tell you what our decision is. If necessary we will tell you our reasons for that decision.

What if I think I have got 'good cause' but you won't backdate my benefit?

If there is a disagreement about your benefit, the problem can be solved by the benefit appeal procedure - wrong decision.

Where can I get some advice?

Runnymede Citizens Advice Bureau

Want to know more ? Please contact us