If you are claiming Council Tax Support you need to tell us about anything that might affect how much Council Tax Support you get.
A new online application must be completed and submitted where any of the changes listed below apply:
Report a change on Council Tax support
You/ your partner’s combined savings/account balances increase over £10,000.
- For example, you receive a lump sum, inherit a property or asset or cash in a pension etc.
- Capital held in joint savings/bank accounts can also increase steadily each month as unspent income can become part of your growing balance (accumulated capital) .
- You need to ensure when the level of your total capital goes above £10,000 this is reported. You have a change to your household occupiers
You have a change to your household occupiers
- Someone moves in or out
- You or someone in your home goes to prison
- You or someone in your home becomes a student
- You or someone in your home goes into a care home
- If you or your partner will be absent from the property for longer than 4 weeks.
Your Child Benefit changes – We need to be told when you have :
- A new award of Child Benefit
- An increase in your Child Benefit payments from 1 to 2 or more children.
- A decrease in Child Benefit payments from 2 children to 1 child (this is common when a child leaves full-time education)
- A Child Benefit claim that stops altogether.
You have a change to your Child Care costs.
You have an increase in income where that increase takes your income over your current income band level.
You have a decrease in income where that decrease takes your income below your current income band level.
- This could be from a job change/change in hours
- A change to existing benefits received.
- A new income being taken like a private pension.
Please tell us if you or someone in your household including children and other adult occupiers are either :
- Awarded Personal Independence Living or Mobility components.
- Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance Care or Mobility components
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or
- Registered blind.
You must report to us if anyone in your household stops being entitled to one of the benefits listed above.
You must also report to us if anyone starts or stops claiming Carer’s Allowance for either you and/or your partner.
Additionally those claiming Universal Credit also need to report the following:
When a new claim is made for Universal Credit or you change your UC claim from single person to couple and vice versa.
As Universal Credit is made of elements and some of these we disregard for our banding scheme we need to know if :
- An element included in your Universal Credit award increases or drops significantly.
For example you start paying for child care which alters your child care element for UC
- A new element is awarded to you or an element is removed from your UC award.
For example a new element may be awarded if you make a successful claim for a disability benefit or an element may be removed i.e. Carer’s Element removed because you started working additional hours.
The list shown above is not exhaustive and if you are unsure whether a change would alter your banding level then please complete another application form and submit this to us.
Have a change to report? Apply for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction
When you need to tell us of your changes
You must tell us within a month of your change in circumstance happening. If your new circumstances mean you are entitled to more help with your Council Tax then you could risk losing out if you don’t tell us straight-away.
If your new circumstances mean you would be entitled to less help with your Council Tax then you should still tell us within a month.
To reduce the likelihood of being overpaid, please do tell us straight-away.
Who else you need to tell about your changes
Department of Work and Pensions
If you get Universal Credit, Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or any other social security benefit, you need to tell the Department of Work and Pensions about your change immediately.
If you have moved, we always check if you are getting these benefits at your new address. However, 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 your claim. We may take further action against you if we consider that you have committed an offence.
