Your location: Changes in circumstances
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland
If you are getting housing or council tax benefit and you have had a change in your circumstances, it may affect the amount of benefit that you are entitled to. Find out which changes you have to tell the housing or council tax benefit department about.
What happens if my circumstances change?
If you have any change in your circumstances that may affect the amount of benefit you receive, you should notify the council immediately. It is best to tell them if you are not sure. If you don't, you could end up being paid too much benefit and having to pay it back at a later date. You never know - you might be entitled to more benefit.
If your change of circumstances does affect the amount of benefit you receive, this may be effective either immediately or on the Monday after the change took place.
What sort of changes do I have to inform the council about?
You must tell the council about any change that might affect your benefit entitlement. This includes:
Changes to your rent
You must always inform the council of any changes to your rent. If your rent increases, your claim may be referred to a rent officer for a new decision on the maximum rent that can be paid for your property - for information about the maximum rent see our page on how housing benefit is calculated.
Changes to the make up of your household (ie who lives with you)
You must inform the council if:
- you move house
- someone else move into your home
- you have a baby
- someone moves out of your home
- you take in a lodger
- you sublet your house
- you are going to be away from your home for a period of time (eg working away or going on an extended holiday)
- someone in your household goes into, or comes out of, hospital
- someone in your household goes into, or comes out of, prison.
Financial circumstances
You must inform the council if you (or someone living with you):
- have your benefit stopped or move from one benefit to another (eg from income support to incapacity benefit)
- have a change to the amount of benefit or tax credit you get
- have to pay back an overpayment of working tax credit or child tax credit
- get a new benefit
- have a change to the amount of pension you get
- have a change in the amount of savings you have
Changes relating to employment and education
You must inform the council if you or someone living with you:
- becomes a student
- gets a job or change job
- has a job and changes hours, or gets a pay rise
- is signed off work and is receiving statutory sick pay or reduced pay.
Changes related to children
You must inform the council if:
- someone in your household has a baby
- a child in your house turns 16
- a child in your house leaves school.
How should I report a change in circumstances?
You must notify the council in writing of any relevant change in circumstances.You can use our sample letter to do this.
If you can, take the letter in personally and ask for a receipt. Keep this in a safe place. If this is not possible, take a copy of the letter and make a note of the date that you sent it. This could help avoid problems if the letter gets lost.
If you fail to report a change incircumstances that could affect your benefit entitlement then you may be guilty of a criminal offence, which could lead to a fine or even imprisonment.
Report any changes as soon as you can. If you take more than a month to do so, you could lose out on extra benefits, or have to pay back a large overpayment.
What if I get a letter saying that I have been overpaid benefit?
If you receive a letter telling you that you have been paid too much benefit, you should contact an adviser at Shelter, a Citizens Advice Bureau or another advice agency. You will find contact details in the Advice Services Directory.
An adviser will be able to check if the council have made a mistake or help you challenge the decision if the reason you were paid too much benefit was not your fault.
