Changes in your circumstances

You need to tell us about anything that might affect your housing benefit of council tax benefit. Please let us know straight away, otherwise you may lose your benefit.

This list gives examples of the kinds of change we need to know about.

You need to tell us if:

• Your income, or the income of anyone who lives with you, goes up or down
• Your income stops, or the income of anyone who lives with you stops, or if anyone starts to receive a new type of income, including a social security benefit like income support or jobseekers allowance
• You or anyone you live with starts or stops working
• There are changes to your savings or investments, or those of anyone living with you.
• You move address or anyone moves in or out of your home
• You or your partner give birth
• You or your partner go away temporarily and how long you expect to be away. This could include things like going into hospital or visiting a friend or relative to care for them
• There is a change to your rent or any charges within your rent (unless you pay rent to Newham Council)

You will need to inform us within one month of any changes that could increase or reduce your benefit.


You will need to fill out our Change of Circumstances form (pdf).



Changes that increase your benefit

We need to know within one month about any change that would increase your benefit. If we are told of a change more than one month after it has happened we can usually only increase your benefit from the date we find out. So please let us know immediately so that you don't lose out.

Changes that reduce your benefit

We will always take into account changes that reduce your benefit from the date the change happens, not when you tell us about the change.

This could mean that we pay too much benefit if we do not find out about the change straightaway. When this happens we will normally ask you to repay the money, or we will deduct it from future benefit payments.

Extending the one-month notice period

If you want the deadline of four weeks to be extended you must write to us, explaining the reasons for the extension. You can use our change of circumstances form to explain the delay when you tell us about the change.