Reporting Changes In Circumstances
If your application for Housing and Council Tax Benefit is
successful, your entitlement will continue unless your entitlement
is effected by any changes in legislation but more commonly by any
changes in your household circumstances.
Changes in your household circumstances may alter the level of
benefit that you are entitled to. This means that your
Housing and Council Tax Benefit may reduce or increase or stay the
same as a consequence of this change. It is important that
regardless of what you anticipate the outcome of this change to be,
we are notified of this change as soon as possible.
It may considered as fraud if a customer continues to
receive Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit when they are aware that
their entitlement may have changed.
Responsibility to Report Changes in Circumstances
The responsibility for reporting Changes In Circumstances lies
with the applicant. Sometimes we can
receive notification of changes in your
circumstances from other agencies such as the Department for
Work and Pensions, however, as we cannot ensure that this will
always be the case, you are required to report all changes directly
- yourself.
As a Change in Circumstances may result in the loss of some or
all benefit entitlement, it is important that these changes are
reported everytime, on time and in the correct manner. If
these guidelines are not followed, this may lead to an overpayment
of Housing and Council Tax Benefit.
More information on overpayments.
What Changes Should Be Reported - Examples Only
It is important to remember that we cannot cover all potential
Changes In Circumstances which may effect your entitlement and so
we have prepared a very rough guide to which changes you are
required to report. If you have a change which is not on our
guide, it is always safer to contact us for further guidance.
By seeking this guidance sooner rather than later, this will
greatly reduce any potential overpayment which you may be required
to pay back.
- If your tax credits increase or decrease
- If you or a member of your household starts to work or gets a
second job
- If you start or stop getting any type of income such as tax
credits, incapacity benefit, wages
- Any change in the amount of type of income or benefits of
anybody in your household
- Any changes in the number of people in your household - for
example when someone joins or leaves, including those admitted to
hospital
- If you or your partner's capital or savings go up or down
- If a child in your household leaves school
- Any changes to the payments you make to a private pension
- Any changes to child care costs
- If you move house (Please refer to
Changing Your Address)
This is not an exhaustive list of possible changes in
circumstances. If in any doubt as to whether or not your
change of circumstances is relevant, you should always inform us
anyway.
Changes to Tax Credits - Increases or Decreases
If your award to tax credits changes (whether this is an
increase or a decrease) you must inform Perth and Kinross Council
if you receive Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit. Please
provide us with your renewal letter as soon as reasonably possible
after you receive this.
How To Report a Change In Circumstances - The Correct
Manner
It is important to remember the correct manner in which
all Changes in Circumstances should be reported. In
all cases, notification must be made in writing
and must be received in one of our offices as soon as
possible. Remember - delay can lead to
overpayments.
To notify us in writing, please complete a Change In
Circumstances form. We always include one of these in each
notification letter which you receive. If you do not have one
of these, you can collect one from any of our offices
or obtain one of these from our downloads on the right hand
side of this page.
It is recommended that as well as notifying us in writing, you
also telephone our dedicated phone line on 01738 476049
to alert us sooner. This again will help to reduce any
potential overpayment.
Checklist for Notifying us Of Changes in
Circumstances
- Always notify us of Changes In Your Household Circumstances in
writing.
- If in doubt about whether your change should be reported -
contact us.
- Ensure that you notify us as soon as possible.
- Report your change even if you think that another organisation
should have or has told us.
