Rent payment options

If you are an Ipswich Borough Council tenant your rent is due each Monday. However, you can choose to pay weekly, fortnightly, 4 weekly or monthly. Please note that all rent payments must be paid in advance.

Different ways to pay your rent:

• By Direct Debit:
  Payments can be taken weekly, fortnightly, 4 weekly or monthly on any date you choose.
• Using our online payment system:
  You will need your debit card details and rent account number.
• By telephone:
  Call our 24 hour automated payment line on 01473 937866. You will need your debit or credit card details and rent account number.
• Through your bank or building society:
  Payments can be arranged weekly, fortnightly, 4 weekly or monthly with your bank. You will need your rent account number and our bank details (account no: 04900414 and sort code: 30-94-55).
• At a Post Office or Payzone:
  Cash or debit card payments can be made using your plastic swipe card or barcode from any rent letter we send  you.

As a tenant you are responsible for keeping your rent payments up to date. If you are experiencing financial difficulty and in danger of falling behind with your rent you will find useful information on the Problems paying your rent page.

If you still need further assistance please contact us as soon as possible as we will often be able to help.  You can either request contact via our online service or call our Customer Service Centre on 01473 432000.

Top up the rent you pay

As a tenant you can pay extra onto your rent account to cover periods when your finances may be under pressure e.g. in the school holidays or during the Christmas period.

By planning ahead and paying extra each week, you can get ahead of payments from your rent account to build sufficient credit to cover you during those pressured periods.

For example, by paying £5 extra per week over 52 weeks, you’ll have topped up the balance in your rent account by £260.

It is important that you still pay your rent as a priority during these times in line with the terms of your Tenancy Agreement.

To arrange this, please contact your Income Officer.

Are you prepared for the 53-week year?

If you’re a Council housing tenant, you need to be aware that there is an extra rent week this year.

This financial year (April 2024 to March 2024) has 53 payment dates as there are 53 Mondays in the year rather, rather than the usual 52.

We’ll be contacting all tenants at the end of February about this new rent charge from 1 April 2024.

Tenants will need to manually pay the difference from 1 April.

Will this affect me?

If you are clearing your rent account every week or month – reducing the balance to zero - then this won’t be a problem.

If you pay monthly, your calculation of rent will need to change to:

• Weekly Rent Charge x 53 Weeks (as opposed to 52 weeks) divide by 12 = new monthly amount to pay.

What if I receive Housing Costs from Universal Credit? (even if it is paid directly to the Council)

Unfortunately, the 53-week year is not officially recognised for the purposes of Universal Credit and therefore Universal Credit Housing Cost payments will be continuing to be calculated over 52 weeks. This means that you will need to manually pay the difference/shortfall between the 52- and 53-week monthly calculation.

If you think you are going to be affected by this and unable to pay it, please contact us on 01473 432000.