Changes you must tell us about

Changes you need to tell us about

Click here to download our leaflet about changes in your circumstances

While you are in receipt of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and/or Second Adult Rebate you MUST keep us informed about any changes happening to you and the people living with you that may affect the amount of benefit you are entitled to receive.

Even small changes may affect how much we can pay you.

You must inform us of any changes in writing or in person. Click here to download our online Change of Circumstances form or click here for our contact details.

You should not rely on someone else(particularly the Job Centre or your landlord) to tell us about a change affecting you or the other people living with you.

A telephone call is not enough.

Examples of changes you need to tell us about: (this is not an exhaustive list)

•  your Income Support/Job Seekers Allowance stops
•  you change address within the borough
•  you move out of the borough
•  if there is a change in your income or the income of anyone else living with you
•  if anyone moves in or out of your home
•  if anyone comes to stay with you (even for a short time)
•  if you start work
•  if you claim any other benefit (including Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance)
•  if your capital/savings increase (unless they remain under £3000)
• you stop receiving Child Benefit for your child
•  your child stops or starts being a student
•  if you are going to be away from home for a period of time
•  if you are going into hospital

These are only a few examples of what you need to tell us about. If you have any doubt about whether the change will affect your benefit, you should tell us anyway.

Delay in telling us of a change in your circumstances can lead to loss of benefit, because we can usually only increase your benefit from the Monday after you inform us of your change. We can decrease benefit for previous periods, however.

You may be prosecuted if you deliberately give us false information or fail to tell us of a change
in your circumstances in order to get more benefit then you have a right to receive.