Are you struggling with the cost of living?

You can find help with accessing grants, useful advice and money that you may be entitled to. Visit our cost of living support page

Report a change in circumstances
Benefits calculator on GOV.UK

Changes you need to report

If you receive Housing Benefit and or Council Tax Support and your circumstances change, you must tell us immediately. Changes can affect the amount of benefit you’re entitled to or how much Council Tax you need to pay.

If you don’t tell us about any changes in your circumstances, we might not pay you enough benefit, or we might pay you too much and you may have to pay it back.

Income, benefits and savings

You must report the following changes.

  • If you (or your partner’s), income stops, starts, goes up or goes down. Income includes:
    • Wages
    • Tax credits
    • Maintenance payments
    • Pensions/occupational or works pension

If the amount of benefit you (or your partner) receives changes and you have recently started work you don’t need to tell us if you have already told Jobcentre Plus.

  • If you (or your partner if you have one) start or stop receiving benefits, for example:
    • Income support
    • Jobseekers allowance
    • Employment and support allowance
    • Incapacity or sickness benefit
    • Tax credits
    • Any other benefits

If you have recently started work, you can find out about benefits and other help that may be available on the GOV.UK website

  • If your (or your partner’s) savings:
    • Go over £6,000 for the first time
    • Go over £16,000
    • Go down significantly because you have had to spend some
    • If you are working age, having savings of £6,000 or more, and they increase by £250 or more
    • You or your partner reach the qualifying age for state pension credit and your savings go over £10,000 for the first time

You don’t need to tell us about small changes in your current account or any stocks or shares you hold.

Household changes (including marriage, someone moving in, birth, and death)

You must report the following changes.

  • Someone moves in or moves out
  • Your partner moves in or moves out
  • You get married
  • You sublet
  • Someone who lives with you has a change in income
  • Any of your children leave school
  • You stop receiving child benefit for any of your children
  • When any of your children turn 18, you will also need to let us know if they are staying at school, going to college, starting work or claiming benefits.
  • Your partner dies:
    • If your partner was the main claimant, we will end the claim
    • You will need to make an online claim within one month, so we can pay housing benefit and or council tax support, from the date your partner died
    • If you take more than a month to make your claim, you will need to ask us to consider backdating your benefit to the date your partner died. You can ask for a backdate for up to 1 month

Housing and rent

You must report the following changes.

  • You move house (or are about to): please tell us as soon as possible by completing a change of address online form to make sure you get the right amount of benefit
  • You become liable for council tax. Please make a new council tax support claim within one month of becoming liable to make sure you get the right amount of benefit. If you take more than a month to make your claim, you can ask us to consider paying your benefit from the date you were liable for Council Tax
  • If you rent from a private landlord or a registered social landlord (housing association), tell us if:
    • Your rent goes up or down
    • There is a change in the service charges you pay
    • The property you live in changes

You don’t need to tell us about rent changes if you rent from the council.

Other changes to your housing situation may affect your Housing Benefit.

Annual rent increase

If your landlord is one of the following there is no need to notify us or supply proof of your rent increase as your landlord will do this on your behalf.

Landlord or organisation:

  • Adullam
  • Adullam assured rents
  • Accord
  • Accord Gulab/Kaylan
  • Advance
  • Clarion/Affinity Sutton
  • Alpha Housing Co-op
  • AnchorHanover
  • ashley comm HA
  • Balsall Heath Housing CO-OP
  • Birmingham City Council
  • Birmingham Civic
  • Birmingham Rathbone
  • BCHS
  • Black Country Housing Group
  • Broadening Choices OP
  • Bromford
  • Bournville VT
  • Bournville VT managed properties
  • Citizen (West Mercia/Optima)
  • CVCHA/Pioneer
  • Riverside ECHG
  • Riverside Townsend Gardens
  • Easy Housing Association
  • ELIM
  • Encircle
  • Extra Care
  • Family HA
  • FCH
  • FRY - Accord
  • Harbone Parish Lands
  • HABINTEG
  • Inclusion
  • James Charities
  • Housing 21
  • Lenches trust
  • Longhurst group
  • Midland Heart Supported Accommodation
  • Midland Mencap
  • Mind
  • NACRO - NCE
  • Nemehiah Housing
  • New Outlook
  • New Servol
  • Optivo
  • Platform
  • Prospect
  • Progress
  • Salvation Army
  • Sanctuary
  • Sanctuary Beth Johnson
  • Sir Josiah Mason
  • St Annes
  • St Basils
  • St Peters College
  • Stonham/ home group
  • Sustain uk
  • Teachers Housing Association
  • Trident Reach
  • Trident
  • Trinity
  • Victoria Tenants
  • Yardley Great Trust
  • YMCA
  • WHG
  • Waterloo (secured tenancies)
  • Westmoreland
  • Witton Lodge
  • Women's Aid
  • 3CHA
rating button