Tell us about any changes
It's your responsibility to make sure we have the right details to calculate your benefit. Check the information on all pages of your benefits letter. If you notice anything wrong, or if anything changes, you must tell us straight away.
Changes in your household's circumstances
We calculate your benefits by looking at the details of everyone who lives in your house. This includes you, your partner, children and non-dependants. Changes can include:
- changing your name or gender
- finding or finishing a job, or working different hours
- your income going up or down
- starting or stopping education, training or an apprenticeship
- moving house
- people moving into or out of the place you live (for example your partner, a child or lodger)
- the death of your partner or someone you live with
- having a baby
- changes to your childcare costs
- starting or stopping caring for someone
- getting married or divorced
- starting or ending a civil partnership
- planning to go abroad for any length of time
- going into hospital, a care home or sheltered accommodation
- any changes to your medical condition or disability
- changes to your pension, savings, investments or property
- changes to other money you get (for example student loans or grants, sick pay or money you get from a charity)
- changes to the benefits you or anyone else in your house gets
- you or your partner getting back-pay (sometimes called ‘arrears’) for salary or earnings you’re owed
This list is only a guide. If you’re not sure whether to report a change or not, contact us. You'll also need to let us know if you change the bank account into which we pay your benefit.
Penalties
Failure to notify or supply information may incur the Council imposing a £70 penalty.
The law allows Councils to impose a £70 penalty to any person who:
- Fails to notify the council that an exemption or discount on a dwelling should have ended
- Fails to notify the council of a change of address or change in liable party
- Fails to provide information requested to identify liability/correct liability
- Fails to provide information after a liability order has been obtained
- Has negligently supplied incorrect information
- Has supplied information about a liable person that is materially inaccurate.
Where a penalty has already been imposed on their Council Tax account and a further request to supply the same information is made, a further penalty of £280 may be imposed for each subsequent failure provided that:
- The information is in the debtors possession
- The authority requests him to provide it
- It falls within a prescribed description of information
Appeals against the imposition of penalties are to the Valuation Tribunal. Penalties are recovered in the Magistrates Court
