What if my circumstances change?

Housing Benefit is normally only paid for the property you actually live in. However, there are exceptions which allow some people to continue claiming during periods of absence.

General Rule
You can continue claiming Housing Benefit for up to 13 weeks or up to 52 weeks depending on the reason for your absence. In either case the basic qualifying conditions below must always be met:

you must intend to return to live in the property after the absence ends

the property must not be sublet while you are away

your absence must not be likely to exceed 13 or 52 weeks from the start of the absence

Housing Benefit can be paid for up to 13 weeks’ absence if:

you are in residential accommodation on a trial basis

you have been convicted and sentenced for a period of 13 weeks or less

you are on holiday or visiting friends for a period of 13 weeks or less

Housing Benefit can be paid for up to 52 weeks’ absence if:

you are on remand

you are a hospital in-patient

you are undergoing medically approved convalescence

you are receiving medically approved care (e.g. you are attending a drug or alcohol rehabilitation scheme away from home)

you are providing medically approved care for someone

you have left your home through fear of violence

If you are receiving Housing Benefit and you know you are going to be absent you must inform Benefit Services or Gateway of

the period you are likely to be absent

the reason for your absence

a contact address and number where possible

You will also need to provide a statement to confirm that you will be returning and to confirm whether or not your home will be sublet. A form is available from Gateway in the Civic Centre or from your local housing office. Alternatively a form can be requested from the call centre.

If during the period of absence your circumstances change, you must inform Benefit Services or Gateway. Examples of changes that must be reported include:

a decision not to return to the property

a change in the reason for your temporary absence

an increase in your expected length of temporary absence

your date of return

Further to the above you must continue to report any changes that might affect your Housing Benefit entitlement.

If your circumstances change after you have claimed benefit, you must tell Benefit Services straight away. If you do not report any changes within one month of them occurring, you may lose out on money you are entitled to, or we may pay you too much which you will have to pay back.

It is very important that you tell us immediately about any changes that might affect the amount of benefit you are paid.

This includes:

Changes to your income
Changes to your savings and/or investments
People coming to live with you
People leaving your home
Changes in the income of the people who live with you
The number of children for whom you receive Child Benefit or for whom you no longer receive Child Benefit
The rent you pay (Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance only)
A change of address
If you or people that lives with you cease to be a student

You will have to provide original proofs of these changes (payslips, tenancy agreement, etc).

If your circumstances change you must complete a change of circumstances form. This is available from Gateway in the Civic Centre or from your local housing office. Alternatively a form can be requested from the call centre or be printed from the council website.

If you are about to start work and have been receiving Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance you may be entitled to up to four weeks Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit after your employment starts. This is known as an Extended Payment.

People in receipt of Income Support , Jobseeker’s Allowance (Income Based) or Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related)

You or your partner must have:

started work; or
increased your hours of work to at least 16 hours per week (24 hours in the case of your partner); or
increased your earnings sufficiently to take you off Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based) or Employment Support Allowance (Income Related)

and

have been in receipt of Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based) or Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) continuously for at least 26 weeks (or any combination of those benefits in that period);
the new job or increase in hours/earnings will last for at least five weeks;
you have been liable for rent and/or Council Tax immediately before your Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based) or Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) ended, and for the whole of the Extended Payment period

People in receipt of Incapacity Benefit , Severe Disablement Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance Contribution Related
The rules for qualifying for Extended Payments are much the same as above i.e.

You or your partner must have

started work; or
increased your hours of work to at least 16 hours per week (24 hours in the case of your partner); or
increased your earnings;
and

have been in receipt of Incapacity Benefit , Severe Disablement Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance Contribution Related continuously for at least 26 weeks(or any combination of those benefits in that period), but Income Support or Pension Credit must not have been in payment during this period;
the new job or increase in hours/earnings will last for at least five weeks;
you have been liable for rent and/or Council Tax immediately before your Incapacity Benefit , Severe Disablement Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance Contribution Related ended, and for the whole of the Extended Payment period

You do not need to claim an extended payment, once we have been notified that your Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based), Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Employment Support Allowance (Contribution related) or Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) has ended, we will check to make sure that you meet the qualifying conditions.

If we write to you for further information you have one calendar month to respond; failure to do this may result in you losing out on benefit.

Your benefit claim will continue at the same rate for up to 4 weeks from the Monday following the date that your Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based), Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Employment Support Allowance (Contribution related) or Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) stopped.

If you want to claim further help with your rent and/or council tax after the Extended Payment period on your new circumstances, you may need supply proof of earnings, capital and other income. If you don’t do this straight away, then you may lose benefit.

You must also remember to tell the Department for Work and Pensions or Job Centre Plus that you have started work.