How do I report a change in my circumstances?

How do I report a change in my self-employed income?

Whilst getting Housing Benefit and or Council Tax Reduction you have to tell the Council’s Benefits Service if your circumstances, or those of anyone in your household, change. If you don’t and you receive more Benefit/Reduction than you should have, we may ask for it back.

Which changes should be reported?

The list below tells you the sort of things you should tell us about. It is not a complete list. You should tell us if.

• You or anyone in your household stop or start getting Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based), Guarantee pension Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related) 
• You or anyone in your household stop or start working
• the income or capital of you or anyone in your household goes up or down
• You or anyone in your household changes address (including to another flat or room in the same building)
• Someone comes to live with you
• Someone leaves your household (including going into hospital, a rest home, university or prison).

If you are not sure if a change should be reported please contact us.

When should a change be reported?

This should be as quickly as possible after taking place but must be within one calendar month of the change.

Please send us some proof of the change, such as wage slips or entitlement letter from the Department for Work and Pensions. If you are unable to provide the evidence immediately please do not delay in telling us about the change as this may result in a loss of Benefit/Reduction.

If you change address or go into prison (including being on remand) you will need to fill in an online change of circumstances form.

What will happen next?

For Housing Benefit if we are told about the change within the one month time limit we will amend your claim to take account of the change from the date of the change.

If we are told outside of the time limit the change to benefit will be as follows:

• Where the change means you receive less benefit the decrease will be from the date of the change.
• Where the change means you receive more benefit the increase will only be paid from the Monday after you tell us.

Warning: Failure to notify changes of circumstance to the Council’s Benefit Service within the one month time limit may result in you losing benefit.