Adur District residents: Benefits for Adur residents are administered by the CenSus Partnership, please refer to their evidence required information.
Worthing Borough residents: Benefits for Worthing residents are administered by Worthing Borough Council - please refer to the information below.

Evidence required

You must complete, sign and return a claim form to the council. Throughout the claim form, details are given about the documentary evidence that we will need in order to assess the claim. This page tells you which documents are suitable for that evidence.

All supporting documents must be originals because we are unable to accept photocopies.

Your rent (unless you are a Worthing Homes tenant)

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your current tenancy agreement
  • A completed 'Proof of rent' form (this is included in the Council's claim form)
  • A letter from your landlord detailing the amount of your rent, how often it's due, the date that the tenancy started and which services (if any) are included

Unsuitable documents:

  • A rent account statement
  • Your rent book or rent receipts
  • Bank statements showing rent payments

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Benefits

If you receive Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based) you may not need to give us proof of your other income and savings. Please contact us first to check exactly what is is needed.

If you receive Pension Credit you will not need to provide proof of your other income and savings. Instead, you will need to provide all the pages of your Pension Credit award letter.

If you receive benefits from the Department for Work & Pensions, or the Pensions Service:

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your benefit award letter that has been sent to the address that you are claiming Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit/Support for (please send all the pages)
  • Your bank statements showing payments (including a reference number). However, we cannot accept this as evidence for new claims because we need to know the start date of the State Benefit award

Unsuitable documents:

  • An award letter sent to a previous address

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Tax Credits

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your latest award letter from HMRC sent to the address that you are claiming Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit/Support for

Unsuitable documents:

  • Bank statements showing payments
  • An award letter sent to a previous address

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Child Benefit

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your Child Benefit award letter sent to the address that you are claiming Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit/Support for
  • Your bank statements showing payments (including a reference number)

Unsuitable documents:

  • An award letter sent to a previous address

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Child Care Payments

Documents that we can accept:

  • A letter from your child care provider confirming the Ofsted Registration number of the person or organisation providing the care

Unsuitable documents:

  • Bank statements showing the payments you make

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Maintenance

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your most recent letter from the Child Support Agency
  • A letter from the person who pays the maintenance confirming the amount and frequency of the payments

Unsuitable documents:

  • Bank statements showing the payments

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Earnings

Documents that we can accept:

  • Either two monthly, five weekly or three fortnightly payslips (these must be the most recent ones you have received and be consecutive)
  • A 'Certificate of Earnings' form filled in by your employer and either stamped with a company stamp or accompanied by a letter from your employer on headed paper confirming the details are correct

Unsuitable documents:

  • Hand written payslips
  • Bank statements showing your wages being paid in

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Self-employed earnings

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your most recent certified or audited accounts
  • A completed 'Self Employed' form to confirm your income and expenditure, plus receipts to confirm the amounts

Unsuitable documents:

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Student income

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your loan or grant award letter

Unsuitable documents:

  • Bank statements showing the payments you receive

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Any other income

Documents that we can accept:

  • Official documents from the person or organisation making the payments that confirm the amount you receive and how often it's paid

Unsuitable documents:

  • Bank statements showing the payments you receive

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Savings and investments

Documents that we can accept:

  • Bank statements showing all transactions for the last two months
  • Building society passbooks that have been updated within the last month
  • Your latest statement for savings accounts (such as ISAs or TESSAs)
  • Certificates for shares, Unit Trusts and National Savings Certificates
  • Premium Bonds

Note: you must send statements for all the accounts you have even if they are overdrawn

Unsuitable documents:

  • Mini statements
  • Statements not on bank headed paper

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Occupational pensions from former employers, private pensions and annuities

Documents that we can accept:

  • Your most recent payment slip
  • The most recent letter from your pension provider

Unsuitable documents:

  • Bank statements showing the payments

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Proof of identity

If you have not received Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit/Support from Worthing Council within the last six months, you will also be required to provide two documents proving your identity.

Documents must be the originals and not photocopies:

  • A current passport 
  • A current driving licence
  • Your birth or marriage certificate
  • Your medical card
  • Your National Insurance Number card
  • A solicitor's letter
  • Your divorce papers
  • Your UK residence permit
  • A Home Office Standard acknowledgement letter (SAL1 or 2)
  • A certificate of employment in HM Forces or Merchant Navy
  • Your identity card issued by an EC or EEA Member State
  • Letters from a solicitor, social worker, probation officer or HM Revenues & Customs
  • A gas or electricity bill dated within the last three months, which has been paid

If possible, it is advisable for you bring the original documents to the council offices in Worthing where we can photocopy them and return them to you immediately. Alternatively, you can post them to us and we will photocopy and send them back to you on the same day.

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