Change in circumstances

What do I have to do if there is a change in my circumstances?

The law says you must tell us if there is any change to the information we have used to decide whether you are entitled to housing benefit or Council tax benefit (or both). You should tell us immediately, in writing, of any changes in your circumstances. Alternatively you can complete our online changes in circumstances form.

We may ask you to supply some evidence to support the change in your circumstances.

You should tell us straight away even if you're still waiting to hear from us about your claim, and even if you've already told someone else like the Department for Work and Pensions or your landlord.

In this section we tell you the type of changes you have to report, particularly about starting work or about changing address, and what happens if you don't tell us.

What kind of changes do I have to report?

You need to tell us about any change that could affect your benefit.

Please tell us if:

you start or stop getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Guaranteed Pension Credit
a change to your or your partner's income
you start or stop getting any tax credits
the money you or your partner gets increases or decreases
the money any non-dependants get increases or decreases
there are any other changes in the money that people in your home get. For example, if someone starts getting Disability Living Allowance
you change your address
the number of people in your home changes (for example, someone has a baby or someone moves out)
a partner comes to live with you
a partner leaves
go into hospital
if you're a private tenant, if your rent goes up or down
leave the property for longer than 13 weeks
you, or your partner, become a student or stop being a student
the amount of savings or investments you have changes

You do not have to tell us about changes in age, for example, if one of your children becomes 11, as we will have this information already. If you are not sure whether any changes affect your benefit, tell us anyway.

We cannot list all of the changes in circumstance that you should tell us about, but if you are not sure whether we need to know, tell us anyway. Don't leave it until the next time you fill in a claim form or we contact you.

When should I tell you about any changes?

You should tell us within one month of the change happening. If you don't, you could lose benefit.

What if I move house?

You need to tell us straight away if you move. You will probably want to claim Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit at your new address, and you'll want to get benefit sorted out as soon as possible.

If we don't know you've moved, we may pay the wrong rate of benefit and you may lose benefit as a result. You can download our Change of Address form (PDF, 193KB) or contact the benefits team and we will send one to you.

What happens if my Income Support, ESA or JSA stops?

If you've been getting Income Support income related ESA or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance and start a job, or increase your hours, there are rules to make things slightly easier

Extended payments

Your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit may carry on for up to four weeks after you start work or increase your hours. Tell your Jobcentre Plus office as soon as possible, and don't forget to tell us too. The sooner you tell us, the sooner we can check if you're entitled.

In-work benefits

Unless you're very well paid, you may still get some Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit if you apply, but we'll need all your income details in order to check. We usually ask for your last five weekly or last two monthly payslips, but if your new employer can provide details of your likely pay (before and after deductions), we can estimate your likely earnings.

If you've been on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, you will need to make a new claim for benefit. We will need some information about your earnings and you will be asked to send in your payslips when you receive them.

Please don't delay claiming or you could lose benefit.

There are other benefits for people who work.

You might be entitled to tax credits, but these will affect your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit so we need to know as soon as you are awarded a tax credit or when the amount changes.

What happens if I am late telling you about my changes, or if I don't tell you at all?

If you don't tell us, we're likely to go on paying the same rate of benefit as before and this may be wrong. If you don't tell us, or are slow to tell us, we may have paid too much. We will expect you to pay it back, and we may take it out of the benefit we're still paying you.
For Council Tax Benefit we'll take the money back out of your Council Tax account so you will get a revised bill showing that you have to pay more.
If you take more than a month to tell us about a change that would give you more benefit, we can only increase your benefit from the Monday after the date you told us. If there are good reasons that explain your delay, we may be able to pay the extra money from an earlier date, but we cannot guarantee this.
You could be committing an offence if you don't tell us about changes and be subject to an investigation if we find out about the change in some other way. If you fail to notify us of a change of circumstances in order to continue to receive benefit you are committing a criminal offence that is punishable by up to seven years in prison.

How should I tell you about changes in my circumstances?

Please tell us in writing and give us your benefits reference number which is on the letters we send you. Tell us what's changed and the date it changed. Give us all the details, for example, we need to know things like the new amounts of income, the name and date of birth of someone who has come to live with you and the date someone moved out of your home.

Do I need to tell anyone else about my changes?

Yes, you do. If you get Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or any other social security benefit, you need to tell the Jobcentre Plus office straightaway about your change. If you have moved, we always check if you are getting these benefits at your new address. If the Jobcentre Plus office don't know that you've moved, it might hold up your claim with us.

What happens if I've been paid too much benefit?

If we find we've paid you too much benefit, we have to tell you what the right amount is and how much we have overpaid you. Sometimes we will tell you that there has been an overpayment but that we have not yet decided whether to ask you to pay it back or what we are going to do about it.

For more information see our overpayments page.

What can I do if I don't agree with your decision?

If you don't agree with our decision, you can ask us to look at it again. Our letters tell you what your rights are. Please see 'What to do if you disagree with a housing benefit or Council Tax benefit decision' for more detailed information.

Where can I get help?

Staff in our Benefits Department are happy to help with any query you have. You can reach us online, by e-mail, post or telephone: