What should I do if my circumstances change?
||Here are some examples of changes affecting you or your partner which you need to tell us about:
- starting to get or no longer getting Income Support or any other type of State Benefit;
- starting work or changing jobs;
- wages going up or down;
- savings going up or down;
- how many people live with you;
- any of your children leaving school;
- moving home (this includes if you move to another flat or room at the same address);
- birth of a baby;
- going into hospital;
- going into a rest home.
You must give us full details about the change in your circumstances and the date of the change. It is important that you tell us about any changes as soon as possible so that we do not pay you too much benefit. If you do get too much benefit (an overpayment) we will ask you to pay the money back.
If you want more information about overpayments, please select this link
If you are under 60 and you get any other state benefit, you also need to tell Job Centre Plus about any changes in your circumstances.
If you are 60 or over, you must tell The Pension Service of any changes and they will tell you how the change will affect you. If the change is something which was not included in your Pension Credit calculation, you must tell us not the Pension Service.
Here are some examples of changes that you need to tell us about:
- changes to your tenancy;
- non-dependants and who is living with you;
- absence from home of more than 13 weeks;
- dependent children;
- Child Tax Credit;
- Child Benefit;
- savings and investments of more than 16,000 (if you are getting Savings Credit);
- income and capital of partners which is not included in the Pension Credit Claim.
You can report changes in your circumstances by downloading our form "Reporting changes in your circumstances".
If you are registered to use OpenAshfield, our on-line service to give you access to your benefit claim, you can tell us about any changes using the on-line form provided here.
If you are already registered on OpenAshfield please click here to go to your account.
