DWP Searchlight Data

Searchlight

Checking the earnings of non-dependents listed on Housing Benefit claims

In Housing Benefit legislation and policy, the earnings of a non-dependent listed on a Housing Benefit claim may have an impact on the amount of Housing Benefit paid to the primary claimant.

• “RBC sometimes needs information about people other than the person who has applied for a benefit or service to work out what that person is entitled to. For example, where a person makes a claim for Housing Benefit, we need information about other people who live in the same household to work out how much the person will be paid.”

Searchlight is used for all new Housing Benefit claims with an associated non-dependent, as well as at review points of any Housing Benefit claims with an associated non-dependent.

To aid the process of checking non-dependent income, we record the National Insurance number of the non-dependent on the Housing Benefit claim on our IT systems.

All Housing Benefit claimants need to inform their non-dependants that their data will also be processed.