If you get Housing Benefit / Council Tax Reduction / Local Housing Allowance and your circumstances have changed since you last completed a form, you must tell us immediately by completing a change in circumstances form:
You can also pick up this form from your local Advice and Support Hub.
We will process the new information you have supplied and send you a new award letter if the change affects the amount of help you get.
If the change has reduced your award, you may have been given too much financial help which you will need to pay back. We will write to tell you the amount and the period of overpayment and how we will collect this from you.
Supporting documents
Submit any documents you have been asked to supply using our online form.
You can currently use the form to submit documents for the following services:
- Housing Benefit/Discretionary Housing Payment
- Council Tax
- Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants
- Education Maintenance Allowance
Frequently asked questions
- What types of changes do you have to report?
- How do I report someone claiming financial help they are not entitled to?
What types of changes do you have to report?
You must tell us as soon as any of the following changes happen:
Accommodation:
- You move address – tell us your new date of tenancy or the date you purchased the new property and confirm the address and the date you moved in
- There is a change in the amount of rent or service charge you pay to your landlord.
Household:
- You or your partner, move in or leave the property
- You or your partner, are in hospital for more than 13 weeks
- You plan on being away from your home for more than 13 weeks
- There is a change in the number of your children, or if your children leave school
- There is a change in the number, status or income of any non-dependants living with you
- There is a joint tenant sharing your property and there is a change in their household status.
If you are of pension age:
- You are awarded Pension Credit or you stop getting Pension Credit
- You are awarded a State Benefit, Pension or Allowance or the amount changes, or it stops (for example, Working Tax Credit, Income Support, Job Seeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Industrial Injuries Benefit or Employment Support Allowance
- You receive a pension from a former employer, or the amount changes or it stops
- Your earnings increase or decrease, the number of hours you work changes, you work more overtime or you get bonus or commission payments
- The amount of capital or savings you have increases or decreases
- If you are awarded Savings Credit, you must also tell us if you have capital of £16,000 or more
- If you are awarded Savings Credit and you receive income from a partner who is absent from your home, you must tell us if the amount you get changes or it stops.
If you are working age:
- You start or stop working or change your job
- Your earnings increase or decrease, the number of hours you work changes, you work more overtime or you get bonus or commission payments
- The amount of capital or savings you have increases or decreases
- You are awarded a State Benefit, Pension or Allowance or the amount changes, or it stops (for example, Working or Child Tax Credit, Income Support, Job Seeker’s Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Disability Living Allowance or Industrial Injuries Benefit
- You receive a pension from a former employer, or the amount changes or it stops
- You have capital, savings or investments of £16,000 or more.
How do I report someone claiming financial help they are not entitled to?
If you know someone is getting financial help they are not entitled to, for example housing benefit, council tax reduction etc, use our Fraud page to report it.