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Housing Benefit, Local Housing Allowance: What to do if your circumstances change

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Change of Circumstances

What changes must I tell you about?

The following is a list of some of the common changes that may affect the amount of benefit you get:

Income changes:

• Where there is an increase or reduction in the amount you earn
• Any increase or decrease in income you receive
• If you stop getting Income Support
• If you stop getting Jobseeker's Allowance
• When you or your partner start full-time, part-time or casual work

Your household details:

• If you marry, become widowed, separated or divorced
• When someone else moves into or leaves your household
• If one of your children leaves school
• If you decide to move

Savings/Capital

• Any increase or reduction in savings or capital

It is important to remember that the above list is not complete.  If you are in any doubt about reporting a change that may affect your entitlement, please contact us.

Why must I tell you about changes?

Your Benefit has been calculated using the information provided by you.  If these details have changed, the amount of benefit you receive may not be complete.

When should I tell you?

You must tell us in writing about changes to your income or address or household or savings as soon as they happen.  Please provide original documents as proof of all changes eg. pay slips, birth certificate, bank book.  You may lose benefit if you fail to tell us of the change within one month of the change.

Data matching

We are committed to ensuring that everyone receives their correct entitlement.  Information and data provided to us will be used in data matching exercises to prevent and detect fraud.  Our records will be compared with those held by other organisations and any discrepancies will be investigated.

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If you're thinking of moving

Before agreeing to sign for a new tenancy, check your notice period with your current Landlord.  If your rent is due monthly, 4 weeks is the usual notice period.  Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance can normally only be paid at one address.  Unless it is unavoidable for you to hold 2 tenancies, you may liable for the rent on one of the properties.  When you make an application for Housing Benefit or Local Housing Allowance at a new address, you are cancelling your existing claim.

Changes of circumstances can include things like:

• A partner moving in
• Getting married
• Having a baby
• A child leaving school
• Child Benefit stopping
• Changes in earnings, savings or other benefits
• Starting work
• People moving in/out of your house
• Taking in a lodger
• Moving

If you're in any doubt about whether you should report a change, please contact us.

Change of Circumstance Form

You may find it useful to read our Help before downloading information.

• Change of Circumstances Form (.pdf 54KB)

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