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Change of circumstances

You must inform the Council, in writing immediately of any changes in your circumstances that might affect the amount of benefit your paid. If you don't tell us about these changes you may lose money you are entitled to, or you may get too much benefit. If we pay you too much benefit, you will have to pay it back.

What is a change in circumstances?

For Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit purposes a change in circumstances happens when: -

• Someone moves into or out of your home
• Any of your children leave school or leave home
• Your income or the income of anyone living with you changes (this includes any benefits like State Retirement Pension or Incapacity Benefit)
• Your capital or savings change
• You or anyone living with you become a student, go into hospital or a nursing home, go into prison, or go onto a training scheme.
• You or anyone that lives with you starts work
• You or anyone that lives with you changes job
• You or anyone that lives with you leaves a job
• You or anyone that lives with you becomes self employed
• Your rent changes
• You move or are away from home
• Anything else changes that you have not already told us about that may affect your benefit.

You must tell us about changes in your circumstances as soon as they happen, otherwise you may lose out on any increase in your entitlement to benefit.  If you delay telling us and the change in your circumstances means that your benefit goes down, then you may have been overpaid benefit which you will have to pay back. It is important that you write to us with full details of the change and the date it happened. We will also need proof to confirm what you tell us.

Please make sure you tell us about any changes in writing.

When do I need to inform the Benefit Section that my circumstances have changed?

• If you tell us about a change that means your benefit will go down, we will usually amend your benefit from the Monday after the change in your circumstances happened.

If the change in your circumstances means that your entitlement goes up, the date you tell us about the change will be very important.

• If you tell us about a change that will increase the amount of benefit you receive within one month of it happening, we will usually amend your benefit from the time the change happened, as long as you send us proof. If you leave it longer than a month to tell us you have had a change in circumstances that will mean you will be granted more benefit, we will usually only amend your benefit from the Monday after we get the information from you in writing, as long as you send us proof.

How do the rules differ for people in receipt of Pension Credit?

If you are in receipt of Savings Pension Credit you only need to tell us about changes to your rent/tenancy, changes to the income of any non-dependants living with you, if you move (either permanently or temporarily), changes in circumstances of your dependant children, changes to the amount of Child Tax Credit or Child Benefit, changes to your entitlement to Pension Credit and details of your capital if it exceeds £16,000.

If you are in receipt of Guarantee Pension Credit you only need to tell us about changes to your rent/tenancy, changes to the income of any non-dependants living with you, if you move (either permanently or temporarily) and if your Guarantee Pension Credit entitlement ceases.

For a change of circumstances notification form please click here.