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The amount of housing or council tax benefit you are entitled to could be affected if  there is a change in your circumstances. Find out which changes you have to tell the housing or council tax benefit department about and what happens if you are overpaid.

What happens if my circumstances change?

Changes in your circumstances could affect the amount of benefit you receive, so it’s best to let the housing benefit department of the council know straight away, even if you are not sure you need to. If you don't, you could end up being paid too much benefit – this is known as an overpayment – and have to pay it back at a later date. In some cases you may be entitled to extra benefit.

Depending on the type of change you tell the council about, any changes to the amount of benefit you receive will either affect you from the Monday after the change took place, or on the day the change took place.

What changes do I have to tell the council about?

The council should tell you in writing about the changes you have to let them know about, and you must tell the council about any change that might affect your benefit entitlement. Some of the changes you could be expected to tell them about are listed below.

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, please see our section on how housing benefit is calculated.

Changes to who lives with you

You must inform the council if:

• you marry, enter a civil partnership, start cohabiting, separate or divorce
• someone else moves into your home with you/someone moves out of your home
• you have a baby or adopt a child
• you take in a lodger
• someone in your household dies
• you sublet part of your home
• you move 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 or prison. 

Financial circumstances

You must inform the council if you (or someone living with you):

• stop or start receiving another benefit
• move from one benefit to another (eg from employment and support allowance to jobseeker’s allowance
• have a change to the amount of benefit or tax credit you get
• have to pay back an tax credit overpayment
• have an increase/decrease in savings.

You should also report any changes to your (or your partner’s) income, but don't need to report changes in the amount of income support, income-related employment and support allowance or income-related jobseeker's allowance due to annual benefits increases.

Changes relating to employment and education

You must inform the council if you (or someone living with you):

• become a student
• get a job
• change the number of  hours worked or amount paid
• are signed off work and on reduced pay or statutory sick 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
• you start or stop receiving child benefit for a child.

How should I report a change in circumstances?

It’s best to tell the housing benefit department of the council in writing about 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, along with a copy of the letter. This could help avoid problems if the letter gets lost.

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 an overpayment.

If you fail to report a change in circumstances that could affect your benefit entitlement then you may be guilty of a criminal offence, which could lead to a fine or even imprisonment. 

What if I get a letter saying that I have been overpaid benefit?

If you receive a letter telling you that you have been overpaid, this means the council has decided you have been paid too much benefit. The council could ask you to repay the overpaid benefit. 

An adviser will be able to check if the council has made a mistake and may help you challenge the decision if the reason you were paid too much benefit was not your fault and you could not reasonably have known you were being overpaid.

Contact an adviser at a Shelter advice centre, Citizens Advice Bureau or another advice agency. Use our directory to find an adviser.

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