The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed plans for new checks on people claiming Housing Benefit as part of a data-matching exercise involving councils and the Home Office.
The initiative will be used to identify cases where claimants have been, or may currently be, overseas for extended periods and establish whether they remain entitled to Housing Benefit. Details have been set out in the latest edition of the DWP's LA Welfare Direct bulletin, which provides updates and guidance to local authorities administering Housing Benefit.
Data sharing and collaborative working
The department said the planned initiative will involve data sharing and collaborative working between the DWP, local authorities and the Home Office. Councils will have a role in reviewing potential data matches to ensure Housing Benefit is being paid correctly, while the DWP said the work should also maintain “fairness for genuine claimants”.
The department recently held a call with local authorities to discuss the intelligence available, the role of councils in reviewing potential matches and how the organisations will work together.
Housing Benefit rules for going abroad
Housing Benefit can continue during some temporary absences from home, but how long someone can be away without affecting their award depends on their circumstances. The DWP bulletin specifically refers to cases where claimants have been absent abroad for longer than permitted while receiving Housing Benefit.
The new initiative forms part of a wider focus by the DWP on data quality, compliance and preventing fraud and error in Housing Benefit. In the same bulletin, the department said it was strengthening its focus on discrepancies in claimant records and expects councils to take timely action to correct inaccurate information.
Overpayments and next steps
DWP guidance states that Housing Benefit claimants should report changes in their circumstances to their local council, including if they plan to be away from home. Housing Benefit has been replaced by Universal Credit for most new working-age claims, but some people can still make a new Housing Benefit claim, including people who have reached State Pension age and those living in certain supported, sheltered or temporary accommodation.
The latest bulletin also shows the scale of Housing Benefit overpayments being dealt with by councils. Local authorities identified £420 million in overpaid Housing Benefit during the financial year ending March 2026 and recovered £425 million. At the start of the final quarter of the year, £1.39 billion in overpaid Housing Benefit remained outstanding, down £134 million compared with a year earlier.
The DWP has not set out in the bulletin when the new overseas data-matching checks will begin or how many Housing Benefit claims could potentially be reviewed.
