What you need to provide if you have a change in your circumstances

This list shows all the evidence you need to provide under different circumstances.

Changes to benefits or unearned income 

You must provide your award letter if you, your partner of someone in your family starts or stops receiving:

• Jobseekers Allowance
• Income Support
• Employment Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Tax Credits
• Child Benefit
• pensions
• Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment

Changes to employment

If you, your partner or someone in your family have a change in employment status, we need to see the following evidence:

• started working, provide employment contract or payslips 
• stopped working, provide P45
• increase or decrease in salary, provide payslips or ask your employer to complete a certificate of earned income
• become self-employed, provide your trading accounts for the last financial year or complete a self-employed earnings form

Students

If you or your partner:

• become a full time student, provide to us a student exemption certificate and proof of any finance received
• stop being a student, provide to us the date the course ended

If any young person (18 years or over) starts or leaves school, college or university:

• provide a letter from their place of study which confirms the course, hours of study and term dates. If you are still in receipt of child benefit you will need to provide us with your child benefit award letter

Childcare costs

If you start paying childcare costs or the amount of childcare costs go up or down, provide a letter from your child care provider/s confirming the amount you pay and start date.

Savings, stocks and shares

If the amount of your savings, stocks or shares goes up or down, provide last 2 months bank statements.

Moving home or being temporarily away from home

If you move to a different address within the borough, provide your tenancy agreement.

If you move out of the borough, tell us the date you moved and provide a forwarding address.

If you or your partner go away for a period of 4 weeks or more in Great Britain or abroad, tell us the dates you will be away and the reason. 

If you or your partner go into hospital, tell us the date.

Rent changes

If you have a decrease or increase in rent, provide your tenancy agreement or letter from your landlord. You do not need to tell us if you are a council tenant.

Change how we pay your Housing Benefit

If you want to change the way your Housing Benefit is paid, for both tenants and landlords, go to our page on Housing Benefits payments.

Ending your claim

If you no longer need help with paying your rent or Council Tax, tell us the date you wish your claim to end.