How to report a change of circumstances on Universal Credit

If your situation changes while you get Universal Credit, you must tell the government straight away. The size of your payment depends on it, and staying silent can leave you with a debt and a fine. Here is what counts as a change, how to report it in your online journal, and what happens if you do not.

What counts as a change of circumstances?

Almost any event that affects your income, your household or your home counts as a change. The Department for Work and Pensions, which runs Universal Credit, asks you to report things such as:

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• finding a job or finishing one;
• a change to your earnings — though employers usually report employees' pay for them, while self-employed people report their own income;
• moving to a new address, or your rent going up or down;
• having a child, your partner moving in, or starting to care for a child or a disabled person;
• a child aged 16 to 19 stopping or restarting education or training;
• a change to your health, including becoming too ill to work or to meet your work coach;
• a change to your savings, investments and how much money you have;
• changing your bank details, mobile number or email address;
• going outside Great Britain or Northern Ireland, or a change to your immigration status if you are not a British citizen.

Money matters especially here: you can only get Universal Credit if you have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments. If your savings rise above that limit, that is a change you must report too.

How do you report a change in your online journal?

The easiest way is through the online journal in your Universal Credit account. Sign in on the government website and record the change in your journal; the system tells you what evidence to add and what your work coach will ask. For some matters you can call the Universal Credit helpline instead. The gov.uk changes of circumstances page explains how it works. If you claim other benefits as well, you must report the change to each organisation separately.

How soon do you need to report it?

You need to report a change as soon as it happens. Universal Credit is worked out in monthly "assessment periods", and a change can affect your payment for the whole period, not just from the day you reported it. That means a delay can alter your award retrospectively — either up or down.

What happens if you do not report a change?

You could end up with a debt, a penalty and, at worst, a court case. The government warns that:

• your claim might be stopped or reduced if you do not report a change straight away or give incorrect information;
• money overpaid because of an unreported change has to be paid back;
• you might also have to pay a £50 penalty;
• deliberately failing to report changes is benefit fraud, which can take you to court.

The gov.uk guide to reporting a change sets out the consequences and the ways to report for each benefit.

What other support is available?

Beyond the payment itself, Universal Credit claimants can ask for an advance and other help. You can request an advance on your first payment while you wait for it, an advance for unexpected costs, or a hardship payment if your award is stopped or reduced. An advance is usually repaid out of your future Universal Credit payments, so it is a loan rather than a gift. A separate gov.uk page lists this support. If you are unsure whether something counts as a change, it is safer to log it in your journal and ask your work coach than to say nothing. ONLYWAY NEWS suggests checking your account after every life change.