If your situation changes after your benefit have been assessed then this may alter the amount of benefit you should be paid. You MUST tell us about changes as soon as they happen.
Any delay in telling us could seriously affect your benefit.
Some changes may mean you are entitled to less benefit for example if your income goes up because you have got a better-paid job. If you do not tell us about the change you will be paid too much benefit. When we find out about the change you will be asked to repay the money back.
If you notify us of a change, which increases your entitlement, for example a pay decrease you must tell us within one month of the change occurring.
If you tell us over one month after the change happened your claim can only be increased from the date you tell us and not the date that it happened.
The types of changes we need to know about are: -
- If you change your address
- If your rent changes
- If you or your partner are temporarily absent from your property
- If you or your partners income or savings increase or decrease
- If someone who lives with you circumstances change or they move to or from your property
Including:
- Income Support or Jobseekers stopping
- Starting work or changing employers
- If the amount or type of state benefit changes
- If wages increase or decrease
- If private pensions increase
- If tax credit is awarded or the amount that you receive changes
This is not a full list, if you are not sure whether to tell us something, just check with our Customer Services team on 01495 311556
You can tell us about the changes by contacting the Benefit Section.
It is important that you provide details of the change, the date that the change occurred and proof where appropriate.
If you have changed address then we will need to see the appropriate evidence for example – your latest payslips.
We will also need to see original documentation not photocopies. Do not send valuable items such as bank passbooks in the mail. Please bring them into the Civic Centre where we can give you a receipt for submitting the information.
