Changes in Circumstances

If you have any changes in your circumstances that might affect the amount of Benefit you are paid, you must tell us in writing immediately.  If you do not tell us about these changes as soon as they occur, you may lose money you are entitled to, or you may get too much Benefit.  If we pay you too much Benefit, you will have to pay it back.

What is a change in circumstances?

For Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit purposes, a change in circumstances happens when:

• Somebody moves into or out of your home
• Any of your children leave school or leave home
• Your income or the income of anyone living with you changes (this includes any Benefits like State Retirement Pension or Incapacity Benefit)
• Your capital or savings change
• You or anyone living with you becomes a student, goes into hospital or a nursing home, goes into prison, or goes onto a Youth Training Scheme.
• You or anyone that lives with you gets a job
• You or anyone that lives with you changes job
• You or anyone that lives with you leaves a job
• Your rent changes
• You move
• Anything else changes that you have not already told us about, that may affect your Benefit.

You must tell us about changes in your circumstances as soon as they happen, otherwise you may lose out on an increase in your entitlement to Benefit. If you delay in telling us about a change that will result in a reduction in your Benefit entitlement, we may end up paying you too much Benefit, (which you will have to pay back to us). It is important that you write to us with full details of the change and the date it happened.  We will also need proof to confirm what you tell us.

You must tell us about any changes in writing - a phone call is not enough.

When do I need to inform the Benefits Service that my circumstances have changed?

If you tell us about a change that will result in less Benefit being paid to you, we will usually amend your benefit from the Monday after the date on which your change in circumstances happened.

If the change in your circumstances means that your Benefit entitlement will be more than it was, the date you tell us about the change will be very important.

If you tell us about a change within one month of the date on which the change happened, and the change will mean you can get more benefit, we will usually amend your Benefit from the time the change happened, as long as you send us proof. However, if you tell us about the change more than a month after the date on which it happened, we will only amend your Benefit from the Monday after the date on which you tell us about the change. You must send us proof of the change.

How do the rules differ for people in receipt of Pension Credit?

If you are in receipt of Pension Credit (Savings), you only need to tell us about changes to:

• Your rent/tenancy
• Changes to the income of any non-dependants living with you
• If you move (either permanently or temporarily)
• Changes in the circumstances of your dependant children
• Changes to the amount of Child Tax Credit or Child Benefit you receive
• Changes to your amount of Pension Credit entitlement
• Your capital if it exceeds £16,000
• Changes in your household (if someone moves in or out)

If you are in receipt of Pension Credit (Guarantee), you only need to tell us about changes to:

• Your rent/tenancy
• Changes to the income of any non-dependants living with you
• If you move (either permanently or temporarily)
• If your Pension Credit (Guarantee) entitlement ceases
• Changes in your household (if someone else moves in or out)

Other changes to your circumstances should be reported directly to:

The Pension Service
PO Box 7

Preston

PR11 2BW

Phone : 0845 6060265