Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)

DHPs can only be made to tenants who are in receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.  

A DHP is not a benefit payment, it's a standalone, short term payment.

We award these payments if we think that they will help you sort out your housing and money problems in the longer term. You have to show that you are doing everything you can to address your housing or money problems. These problems might include difficulty to find a home or get a job, debts, or benefits and welfare issues.

Apply for DHP

If you want to apply for DHP you can:

• contact your landlord if you rent from a housing association to see if they can help
• contact us

Help checking you're getting the right benefits

If you want to check if you are getting the right benefits, you can use one of the benefit calculators available on Gov.uk: Benefits calculators.

Using a calculator will give you an idea of:

• the benefits you could get
• how much your benefit payments could be
• how your benefits will be affected if you start work or increase your hours
• how your benefits will be affected if your circumstances change - for example, if you have a child or move in with your partner

Before you start

You'll need accurate information about your:

• savings
• income, including your partner's (from payslips etc)
• existing benefits and pensions (including anyone living with you)
• outgoings (such as rent, mortgage, childcare payments)
• Council Tax bill

You may find it useful to have this information to hand when using the calculator.

You cannot use the calculators if you're under 18, and they will not give accurate results if you are:

• a prisoner
• a student
• not a British or Irish citizen
• on strike
• living outside the UK
• living permanently in residential care or a nursing home