Change in your circumstances?
If we, The council, help you with your rent and/or council tax you are legally bound to advise us if any of your circumstances change.
Changes you must tell us about
You must tell us immediately if:
- Any of your children leave school or leave home;
- Anyone moves into or out of your home (including subtenants and boarders);
- Your income or the income of anyone living with you, including benefits, changes;
- Your capital, savings or investments change or the capital, savings and investments of anyone living with you;
- You or anyone living with you becomes a student, goes on a youth training scheme, goes into hospital or a nursing home or goes into prison;
- Your or anyone living with you changes jobs or the number of hours worked;
- Your rent changes;
- You move;
- You or your partner are going to be away from the property for more than 4 weeks; or
- Anything you have told us about changes.
You must tell us about these changes in writing (download this change in circumstances form) - a phone call is not enough. You must make sure you tell us about these changes yourself. Do not rely on someone else to pass on the message.
- Post the form to our Cambourne HQ address or email to benefits@scambs.gov.uk (This link will open in a new window).
When do I have to tell you about any changes?
You should tell us within one month of the change happening. If you don't, you could lose benefit. If you tell us within one month of the change happening, we will usually work out your benefit from the Monday following the date the change
happened.
If you leave it longer than a month to tell us, and the change means that you could get more benefit, we can only work out your benefit from the Monday after you tell us. This is when you would lose out on benefit, so tell us straightaway.
If a change happens which means you would get less benefit, you should still tell us within a month of the change. Even if you delay, we will still work out your benefit by going back to the Monday after the date the change happened. This means you might have been overpaid benefit, which you'll have to pay back. If you want to avoid this, tell us straightaway.
Do I need to tell anyone else about my changes?
Yes, you do. If you get Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or any other social security benefit, you need to tell the Department of Work and Pensions straightaway about your change.
If you have moved, we always check if you are getting these benefits at your new address. If the Department of Work and Pensions don't know that you've moved, it might hold up your claim with us.
It is an offence not to tell us about a change in your circumstances that affects benefit. We may take further action against you if the Council considers that you have committed an offence.
- Change of circumstances information leaflet.
- Change of circumstances form
- Post the form to our Cambourne HQ address or email to benefits@scambs.gov.uk (This link will open in a new window)
If you know someone who is claiming benefit fraudulently you can report this in confidence on the Fraud Hotline (freephone) 0800 73 11 892 or via our online benefit referral
form.
