Changes in Circumstances

Has there been a change in your circumstances since you made your last claim for Council Tax Reduction or Housing Benefit? When you made your claim, you signed a declaration that said you would tell us straight away about any changes in your circumstances (pdf) which might affect your benefit.

This page explains what you should do if you think there has been a change for you or anyone else living with you which could affect your benefits. 

Changes you need to tell us about

Household details - you must tell us if:

• anyone comes to live with you or leaves (including partners, relatives, lodgers or tenants);
• any of your children leave school, start work or college, start to get Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit;
• you have a student child who normally studies away from home and they return home during the holiday period;
• you or your partner go into hospital (tell us the date you go in and when you go home);
• someone living with you starts work;
• there has been a birth or a bereavement.

Tell us about a change

Change of home - you must tell us if:

• you or your partner will be living away from home, even if for a temporary period of time;
• you or your partner are changing address.

Tell us about a change of home

Income details - you must tell us if you or your partner:

• start or stop getting Child Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance or any other state benefits;
• start or stop work, have a change in your pay or hours you work;
• start or stop receiving Tax Credits, or have a change in the amount you receive;
• become a student, receive a student loan or grant;
• have a change in your income, savings and investments;
• start getting an occupational or private pension;
• start or stop getting Pension Credit.

Tell us about a change of income

Accommodation details - you must tell us if:

• your rent goes up or down;
• your tenancy agreement changes;
• you change your accommodation, even if this is to another room in the same house.

Tell us about a change of accommodation

Other details - you must tell us if you or your partner:

• start or stop paying for childcare, or the amount paid out for childcare changes;
• you start or stop being a carer for someone;
• own or sell property other than the home you live in.

Tell us about another change

You still have to tell us about changes, even if you have already told someone else such as the Jobcentre Plus, Tax Credit office or another Council department.

Some changes in your circumstances could mean you should get more Council Tax Reduction or Housing Benefit. But if you delay telling us about the change it is possible that we will not be able to pay this back to the date of change. This means you may lose out on extra benefit.

Some changes in your circumstances could mean you get less Council Tax Reduction or Housing Benefit. If you have not told us about a change that will reduce your benefit, we will take action to recover what we have overpaid you. We may take it out of the benefit we’re still paying you.