Changes in circumstances

If you receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support and your circumstances change, you must tell us immediately.  If you don’t tell us about a change, we might not pay you enough benefit, or we might pay you too much.

If you are paid too much you will have to pay it back. If the Housing Benefit overpayment is more than £100 we will also add a £50 Civil Penalty.

We need to know about changes which affect you, your partner, or anyone who lives with you such as an adult child.

If you aren’t sure if we need to know about the change, please tell us anyway.  We will confirm whether the reported change affects your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support.

Examples of changes we need to know about

Carers Allowance

• if anyone starts claiming Carers Allowance for you or your partner, even if they live somewhere else

Savings

• if you or your partner’s savings or capital change
• you receive an inheritance
• there any changes relating to a second property you or your partner own, even if it has a mortgage on it
• there any changes to or land that you or your partner own, even if it has a mortgage on it

Household changes

• if anyone in your household starts or leaves full-time education
• if anyone goes into hospital for more than 4 weeks
• if your leave to remain in the country ends
• if anyone in your household, leaves the address for 4 weeks or more, whether in the Great Britain or abroad
• if anyone joins your household, for example the birth of a baby or the return of grown up children
• if anyone leaves your household, for example a child taken in permanent or temporary care, child going to university

Outgoings

• if you start or stop paying for childcare, or the amount you pay changes
• if the terms of your tenancy of your tenancy change, for example the number of rooms or the number of joint tenants
• if the amount of rent charged by the landlord changes

Reporting a change to us

If you change address, including moving rooms in the same property Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support Change of Address Form.

If anyone starts a new job or changes job – use our Starting Work Form to tell us.

For other changes that might affect your Housing Benefits or Council Tax Support, you should let us know using this online form.