Period of award
The period of award will be dependent on the claimant’s individual circumstances and whether the award is to help to meet a one-off cost, temporary shortfall in income, or longer-term need.
However, generally, discretionary payments will be for a short period in order to give claimants time to adjust their circumstances by, for instance, finding work or accessing more affordable accommodation.
At the point of making a decision the council will set the period of award, which we will notify along with the decision. Payment of the DHP will normally start from the Monday after receipt of the claim. However, awards may be backdated if there is a good reason why the claim could not have been made sooner and the circumstances continued throughout that period.