Frequently Asked Questions
Evidence
What documents do I need to send with my claim?
You must give details about you and your partner. A partner is:
- A person you are married to or a person you live with as if you are married to them, or
- A civil partner or person you live with as if you are civil partners (from 5 December 2005)
Any documents you give us to support your claim must be originals. We cannot accept photocopies. When we have checked the documents, we will return them to you.
Only officers employed by the Benefits Service are allowed to check documents supporting your claim.
We give you more details about what documents we need to support your claim below. These documents are the minimum we will need to see. Depending on your individual circumstances, we may have to ask you for extra information.
Identification
We need to confirm your and your partner's identity. We can usually do this from two of the following documents:
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Birth certificate |
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Identity card issued by EC/EEA state |
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Utility bill paid in your name in last quarter, for your current address |
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Bank statements dated in the last 4 weeks, showing your address |
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Marriage certificate/Civil Partnership Certificate |
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Divorce papers |
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Pension Book |
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Benefits payment books |
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National Insurance Number card |
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Medical card with NHS number |
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Passport |
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UK Residence Permit |
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Driving Licence showing your address |
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Life insurance/assurance policy |
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Letter from the Benefits Agency /Social Worker/ Solicitor/ Doctor/ Inland Revenue |
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Recent payslips from your employer showing your address |
At least one of the documents you give us must prove your and your partner's National Insurance number.
Your National Insurance number is made up of a series of letters and numbers. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) issues this number to you. You can usually find this number on documents such as;-
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Pension books |
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P45 (given to you when you leave a job) |
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P60 (annual tax statement) |
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Wage slips / salary slips |
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National Insurance Card |
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Benefit payment books |
If you are unable to find any information to confirm your National Insurance Number, please phone our Customer Services on 01823 356356 for further advice.
If you have come from a different country
There are special rules that apply to certain groups of people coming in to this country. You will need to provide your immigration papers if you and/or your partners ;-
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have come to the common travel area |
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have been granted refugee status |
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have been granted 'exceptional leave to remain' |
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are seeking asylum |
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have been granted asylum |
If you work
We will need to see your last 5 weekly payslips or last 2 monthly payslips or ask your employer to complete a Certificate of Earnings  . If you are about to start work, get your employer to write a letter telling us how much you expect to earn once you start work.
If you are self-employed
We will need to see the most recent set of audited accounts. If you have only just started self-employment you should complete a self-employed income and expenditure certificate.
If you have any capital, savings and investments
We will need to see
- Bank statements showing all transactions
- Building society statements or passbooks
- Post office passbooks
- Certificates for premium bonds
- National Savings certificates
- Details of ISAs, PEPs and TESSAs
- Stocks and share certificates
- Details of income bonds and unit trusts
The evidence you send us must show transactions for the last 3 months for each account you hold.
If you rent your property
If you rent your property from a private Landlord or Housing Association we need to see proof of your rent, such as a tenancy agreement. If you would like a proof of rent certificate  for your landlord to complete please .
On pages 20 and 21 of our application form, you will find a checklist of evidence we need to see.
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