Tell us about changes that may affect your benefits

 

If you are receiving Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support you must tell us straight away about any changes that may affect your claim. If you don’t you may lose any extra benefit or support that you are entitled to, and you may have to pay an overpayment.

Some changes may mean that your Housing Benefit will stop as you need to claim Universal Credit instead. If this happens you will receive a two week run-on of Housing Benefit from the date that your claim for Universal Credit starts.

Any claim for Council Tax Support will be reassessed by us.

 

Pension Credit

If you receive Pension Credit you must instead tell the Pension Service of your change(s).

However we do still need to be notified of any changes to your rent, household (eg anyone moves in or out, you get married, form a civil partnership, start living together or separate) and any temporary absence (leaflet PDF 401KB). 

 

Examples of changes you should tell us about are:

This is not a full list so if you are not sure if the change will affect your claim you should still tell us about it

  • If you start or stop getting Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
  • If you or your partner move house, or change rooms in a house you share with other people (even if this is a temporary move for renovations)
  • If you or a member of your household goes into hospital
  • If children or other adults leave or move into your home
  • If you stop receiving Child Benefit for any of your children
  • If you get married, form a civil partnership, start living together or separate
  • If you claim Universal Credit
  • If your wages change
  • If there are any changes to any Child / Working Tax Credits you receive
  • If your private pension / annuity changes
  • If your Pension Credit changes
  • If your savings change
  • If any other income or benefit you receive changes
  • If the income of other adults living in your home changes
  • If someone else starts or stops receiving carers allowance for looking after you
  • If your rent changes
  • If you're going to be away from home for 13 weeks or more (or 4 weeks if going abroad). You may be able to continue receiving Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support if you will not be living at your property for a temporary period. Further information can be found in this leaflet (PDF 401KB)

 

Will I need to send in any documents ?

We will need to see proof of the change. If you cannot provide proof straight away, or are not sure what to provide, please still advise us of the change and we will then write to you to explain what we need. We will also write to you if we need anything in addition to the documents you have already supplied. Any letters we send will have a 'reply by' date that you must meet.

 

Are there time limits for reporting a change?

You should always report any changes straight away.

For Housing Benefit claims if the change means we need to increase your benefit, you have one calendar month to tell us from the date the change took place. Failure to do so means that we can only increase your benefit from the date you tell us, so you will lose out on any extra benefit you were entitled to. 

If the change results in you receiving less benefit, for a period you have already been paid for, we will calculate an overpayment that you will be asked to repay.