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Changes in Circumstances

This section tells you what to do if you have a change in your circumstances whilst you are claiming Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit.

If you are currently claiming Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit you will have signed a declaration on your initial application form. In this declaration you agreed that you would let us know about any change in circumstances that you, or anyone living with you, may have that could affect your benefit.

Examples of changes in circumstances include:

The law says that you must tell us if there is any change to the information we have used to assess your entitlement to benefit. You should therefore inform us of any change to your circumstances. You can contact us by telephoning 01246 242443 or email benefits@bolsover.gov.uk or you can download a link icon 'change in circumstances' form.

You should tell us straight away about any change in your circumstances, even if you have already told someone else (e.g. another Local Authority Department, The Job Centre Plus, The Department for Work and Pensions or your Landlord). This is because other agencies do not always pass on your information to us and it is ultimately your responsibility to let us know of any changes. Failure to let us know of any changes may result in you being held responsible for any overpayment that occurs, even if you have already informed someone else of your change.

IMPORTANT NOTE

You MUST inform us of your change in circumstances within one calendar month of the date that the change took place. If you inform us of the change outside of this time limit, and the change is in your favour (i.e. you will get more benefit), we will only be able to implement the change from the Monday following the date that you informed us of the change. This may mean that you miss out on benefit. If the change means that you get less benefit we will go back to the date that the change took place, any benefit that you have been paid, to which you were not entitled will be recovered.

If you move home

You will need to tell us straightaway if you move. You will probably want to transfer Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit to your new address. It is in the interests of both parties to get your benefit sorted as soon as possible.

  • If you move to a new address in the Bolsover District Council area: You will need to advise us of any change in address details, in writing, as soon as possible.  Please provide your previous address, your new address and the date that you moved into your new address. If you are moving into a new address, that you are renting from a Private Landlord, you will need to provide details regarding your new rent, the number of rooms in your new property and your new Landlord. One of the easiest ways of doing that is by completing a pdf icon new application form. However, this is not compulsory and we will contact you if we need further details to reassess your Housing Benefit.
  • If you move out of the Bolsover District Council Area: You will need to claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit from your new council. You should obtain a new claim form directly from them. We will need to know the date that you vacated your address in our area, your tenancy end date (if you have been living in rented accomodation) and your forwarding address. Failure to provide this information may delay the processing of your application at your new address if your new council needs to contact us for information regarding the date you vacated our area. It is therefore advised that you provide this information as soon as possible.

If we do not know that you have moved, we may continue paying you or your Landlord Housing Benefit at your old address. If you are overpaid any amount of benefit, as a result of us not being informed that you have changed address, recovery will be sought from you or your Landlord.

If you change address to private rented accomodation your new Housing Benefit may be awarded under Local Housing Allowance Regulations. Please see our Local Housing Allowance pages for further information.

If someone moves in or out of your home

When someone moves out of your home you should tell us:

  • who has moved out
  • the date that they moved out
  • their forwarding address
  • how long they will be away from the property for

When someone moves into your home you should tell us:

  • their name(s), national insurance number(s) and their date of birth
  • the date that they moved in
  • their previous address
  • how long they intend to stay at your property
  • what their income or earnings are (we will require evidence of this)

Please note that the above are examples only.  If you are unsure if your change will affect your Benefit please contact us for further advice.

If your income changes

You should notify us if there is any change to you or your partner's:

  • wages (e.g. increase in contract hours, hourly rate of pay, overtime or bonuses)
  • tax credits
  • private or occupational pensions
  • any other income

You should provide the following information:

  • the date that any new employment commenced
  • the name and address of your new employer (including a contact name and number)
  • your contracted hours and hourly rate of pay (evidence will be required)
  • the date that any previous employment ended
  • your p45 from any previous employment
  • the date that any other income changed, started or stopped
  • proof of the amount when any income changes, starts or stops

Changes in benefit - you should also tells us if you or your partner stop or start receiving:

  • Income Support
  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Jobseeker's Allowance
  • Any other benefit

Please note that the above are examples only. If you are unsure if your change will affect your Benefit please contact us for further advice.

If your savings change

If the amount of savings you have changes then you should notify us as soon as possible. Changes you should notify us of include:

  • If your capital goes above £16,000 (unless you are on Guarantee Credits)
  • If your capital goes above/below £10,000 and you are aged 60+
  • If your capital goes above/below £6,000 and you are aged under 60
  • If you buy/sell another property
  • If you receive any large lump sums of capital e.g. inheritance money, divorce settlements or compensation money etc...

Capital includes:

  • Bank or savings accounts
  • Cash held as savings
  • Stocks, shares and premium bonds
  • Investments
  • Property
  • Any other investments or savings

If you are the owner of a second property you will need to complete a link icon LA1 form and provide evidence of any outstanding mortgage. This is a 'valuation' form that once completed is sent to the Valuations Office who independantly provide a valuation of your property. Your capital may be affected if:

  • you put this property up for sale or take it off the market;
  • you have seperated from a former partner (who is a joint owner of the property) within the last 26 weeks;
  • you have children, under the age of 18, still residing in the property with a lone parent;
  • you have relatives that are registered disabled or are aged 60+ that reside in the property;

You should therefore notify us if you put your property up for sale or take it off the market, if you have recently seperated from your former partner (who is a joint owner of your second property), your child vacates the property, reaches the age of 18 or your former partner ceases to be a lone parent living in the property, elderly or disabled relatives vacate your second property or the property is sold and you receive a lump sum of capital from the sale.

Please note that the above are examples only. If you are unsure if your change will affect your Benefit please contact us for further advice on 01246 242443.

If your rent changes (this does not include Council rented property)

You should tell us if:

  • your Landlord puts your rent up or down
  • the services included within your rent change
  • the part of the property that you live in changes

Please note that the above are examples only. If you are unsure if your change will affect your Benefit please contact us for further advice on 01246 242443.

If someone in your household has a change in circumstances:

You should tell us if a person living in your household:

  • moves in or out
  • has a change in income
  • starts or stops work
  • changes jobs
  • leaves or starts education
  • Child Benefit stops or starts

Please note that the above are examples only. If you are unsure if your change will affect your Benefit please contact us for further advice on 01246 242443.

Other changes that we need to know about:

You should also tell us if you:

  • Live away from home for any period of time
  • Become a student or finish your course
  • Go into hospital
  • Go into prison
  • Have a change in your Landlord

Please note that the above are examples only. If you are unsure if your change will affect your Benefit please contact us for further advice on 01246 242443.

What happens if you do not tell us about your changes?

If you do not tell us about your change, we will continue paying benefit at the same rate as before and this may be incorrect.

We may need to change the amount that we pay you, or stop benefit completely because of your change. If you do not tell us about your change, or you delay in letting us know, we may pay you too much benefit. If this happens we will expect you to pay back any amount to which you were not entitled. Please refer to our 'overpayments' page for details on how an overpayment may be recovered.

If you do not tell us about a change that increases your benefit entitlement, within a calendar month, then the change will only be implemented from the Monday following the date that the change was notified to us. This is unless you can satisify us that there was good reason for you not informing us of the change at the relevant time.

If we find out about your change in circumstance from an alternative sorce then it is possible that you will be investigated for suspected Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit FRAUD by the Benefits Enquiry Unit. If you are found guilty of committing benefit fraud then you will be asked to pay back any 'overpayment' and may also incur 'admin penalties' or possible prosecution, which may conclude in a criminal record, a prison sentence or community service.

Do I need to tell anyone else about my changes?

Yes, you do.

If you get Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, or any other social security benefit, you will need to tell the Job Centre plus and/or the Department for Work and Pensions straightaway about your change.

If you have moved address you should inform the above of your change in address immediately as it might hold up your claim with us whilst we check that you are entitled to benefits at your new address.

If you require any additional information regarding your change of circumstances please contact us at The Benefits Department, Bolsover District Council, Sherwood Lodge, Bolsover, Derbyshire, S44 6NF. Telephone: 01246 242443, email: benefits@bolsover.gov.uk or  fax: 01246 242423

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 June 2010 12:59

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