Changes that affect my benefits

If your circumstances change, your Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and Discretionary Housing Payment may change too. You must tell us about any changes in your personal and financial circumstances that might affect your benefit.

Please note if you don’t tell us about a change in your circumstances we may:

• reduce your benefit entitlement
• stop your benefit
• recover any overpayments you may be liable to repay
• prosecute you

There are various types of changes that you need to tell us about.

If you are on Universal Credit and you have reached pension age (single claim) or both you and your partner (joint claim) are pension age then your Universal Credit will stop. To receive help with your housing costs you must apply for Housing Benefit.

People of Working Age or Pension Age who don’t receive Pension Credit must tell us of the following changes.

People of Pension Age who receive Pension Credit must tell us of the following changes.

If you receive the guaranteed part of Pension Credit, you must tell us if:

• a partner moves in or out
• you or your partner go into hospital or residential care
• anyone else comes to live with you
• your rent or tenancy details change

If you receive the savings part of Pension Credit, you must also tell us if:

• you have savings over £16,000
• you’re away from home for more than 13 weeks

Extended payments are Housing Benefit payments which are made up to four weeks after you or your partner start work or increase your hours or earnings, and as a result, are no longer entitled to certain benefits.

You may be eligible to receive an extended payment period on your Housing Benefit if you or your partner:

• are under 60 years of age
• expect your new work or your increased hours to last for at least five weeks

And because of your increased wages, you must stop receiving one of the following:

• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance (if received for a continuous period of 26 weeks or more)
• Incapacity Benefit
• Severe Disablement Allowance

We’ll check whether you’re entitled to an extended payment as part of our normal change of circumstance procedures.

We’ll also consider whether you’re still entitled to Housing Benefit based on your new circumstances.

If you meet the above conditions, we’ll automatically amend your benefit claim to continue up to four weeks from the Monday after your last claimed benefit stopped. Your benefit will be paid at the same rate you currently receive.