Changes in Circumstances

If you receive Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support or both, you must tell us about any changes in your or your family's circumstances.

This is because it may affect the amount of Housing Benefit/Council Tax Support you are entitled to.

If you have informed the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or His Majesty's Revenues and Customs (HMRC) about a change this does not mean that they will pass the information on to us. You must also tell us yourself.

Some of the changes that you must tell us about are:

• if you have moved address
• anyone moves in or out of your home
  
• you or your partner's wages go up or down
• you or your partner start working or change jobs
• any state benefits that you or your partner receive change or stop
• you or your partner start to receive a state benefit
• the circumstances of anyone living with you changes
• you or your partner's private pension goes up or down
• you or your partner's savings go up or down
• you or your partner have any other change which may affect your benefit
• a child being born or a child moving into or out of your property

Notify us online with any changes

If you struggle with the online form you can report your change of circumstances by visiting your local community hub or in writing to us at:

When to let us know

You must tell us about a change as soon as possible. If you do not tell us about a change within one month of it happening, you may lose out on Housing Benefit, or we may pay you too much benefit that you will have to pay back.

What you need to tell us

You must tell us about the change and the date it happened. You must provide supporting evidence of the change in circumstances.

Overpayments

We will write to tell you if your change in circumstances has changed the amount you are paid. If we have paid too much Housing Benefit (this is called an overpayment) and/or Council Tax Support you will have to pay it back.

If you disagree with a Housing Benefit overpayment decision you have the right to appeal. See disputes and appeals for more information.