What is a Change in Circumstances?
You must tell us within one calendar month if your circumstances change. Examples of the changes that you should tell us about are:
- you change your address
- you start or stop getting Income Support (I/S) or Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA-IB)
- changes in income, including:
- earnings (for you, your partner or your non-dependants)
- your Income Support (I/S)
- Job Seekers Allowance- income based or contribution based
- Pension Credits - Guaranteed Credit or Savings Credit
- Any other welfare benefits i.e. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance or Carers Allowance
- if anyone in your home has started or ended work, including self-employed work
- changes in your capital - including savings, Individual Savings Accounts (ISA), Tax Exempt Special Savings Account (TESSA), other property and land
- the income and / or capital of your children or other people in your household changes
- you or your partner go into hospital for more than 4 weeks or you start to receive long term care in a nursing home
- changes to any adults (non-dependants) in your home
- changes to any children or young individuals (dependants) in your home
- you move, including a new room or flat within the same building
- someone comes to live with you
- someone leaves your home, including temporary absences because theyare going into hospital, a rest home, nursing home, university or prison.
If you are unsure of whether you need to tell the Benefit Office of a change in your circumstances, please contact us for help.
What will happen next?
If you have told the Benefits office within one calendar month we will amend your claim to take account of the change from the date of the change.
If you have told the Benefits office, but it took more than one calendar month to do so, we will amend your claim to take account of the change from either:
- Where the change means you are entitled to receive more benefits we will only award the extra help from the Monday following the date the Benefits Office received your change details
- Where the change means you are entitled to receive less benefits we will decrease your Benefit entitlement from the date of the change.
How do you ensure that my benefit claim is correct?
When you apply for Housing Benefit, you will sign a declaration which confirms that you will tell us of any change in your personal circumstances which may affect the payment of your claim. It is important that you tell us of any changes immediately to make sure that the correct amount of benefit is awarded to you. It is your responsibility to tell us of any change in your personal circumstances.
