How to Use the Lewisham BetterOff Portal for Council Tax Reduction

What the BetterOff Portal Is

BetterOff is Lewisham Council's online benefits application platform. It's where you apply for Council Tax Reduction and Housing Benefit through a combined form. The portal is at lewisham.betteroff.org.uk and is the primary route for new CTR claims.

You can also apply by phone or at community access points like Deptford Family Hub if you can't use the digital service, but the online portal is faster and lets you track your application.

Setting Up Your Account

Before you can start the application, you need a MyLewisham account. Go to the Lewisham Council website and register with your email address. You'll set a password and verify your identity.

Once registered, log in and start the BetterOff benefits application. Have your council tax account number and current address to hand, and enter them as requested on the form.

Working Through the Application Form

The form walks through several sections. Have these ready before you start:

Personal details: National Insurance number, date of birth, your council tax account number (on your bill).

Household: names, dates of birth, and relationships of everyone living in the property. This determines your applicable amount and whether non-dependant deductions apply.

Income: for employed people, your net weekly or monthly pay. For UC claimants, your most recent UC award breakdown showing every element. For self-employed, your net profit figure.

Capital: total savings across all bank accounts, ISAs, investments, and any property you own other than your home.

Housing costs: rent amount and landlord details, or mortgage payments.

The form takes 20–40 minutes if you have everything to hand. You can save and return later — progress is saved against your MyLewisham account.

Uploading Evidence (the Separate Step)

This is where many applications stall. The evidence upload is a separate section from the main form. After submitting the application, you'll see a link to "Upload additional evidence" — or you can find it in your MyLewisham dashboard.

Documents to upload:

• 5 weekly payslips, 3 fortnightly, or 2 monthly (employed income)
• Full UC statement showing all elements (UC claimants)
• SA302 tax calculation + accounts (self-employed)
• 3 months of bank statements for every account you hold
• Tenancy agreement or mortgage statement
• ID (passport, driving licence, or birth certificate)
• Student certificate (if anyone in the household is a student)

Upload clear, readable scans or photos. The council won't process your claim until all required evidence is received — missing documents are the single biggest cause of delays.

How Long Processing Takes

Lewisham's published target is 10 working days from receiving a complete application — meaning all evidence uploaded and nothing missing.

Incomplete applications can take longer: missing evidence may trigger manual requests and extend processing to four to eight weeks.

The standard start date for a working-age claim is the Monday after you submit it. If you become liable for council tax and apply within that same benefit week (Monday to Sunday), the claim starts from the date you became liable and occupied the property. Processing delays do not change the claim start date once the claim is approved.

If the 10-working-day target has passed since you supplied all required evidence, follow up through the MyLewisham portal or contact the benefits team.

After the Decision

Once processed, you'll receive a formal decision notice showing:

• Your weekly council tax liability after discounts
• The applicable amount for your household
• Your assessed income and any taper deduction
• Non-dependant deductions (if applicable)
• Your weekly CTR award

The CTR award is applied directly to your council tax account as a credit. You'll get a revised annual bill showing the reduced instalments. The award runs until the end of the financial year (31 March) and needs to be renewed or reassessed annually.

If the decision seems wrong — the income figure doesn't match your evidence, or a discount was missed — you can request a written grievance review within a reasonable timeframe.

For a complete guide to every stage of the Lewisham CTR process — from eligibility checks through the BetterOff application to appeals — the Lewisham Council Tax Reduction guide walks through it all with evidence checklists and worked examples.

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