The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012

Duty to notify changes of circumstances

9.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraphs (3), (6) and (7), an applicant (or any person acting on his behalf) must comply with sub-paragraph (2) if there is a relevant change of circumstances at any time—

(a) between the making of an application and a decision being made on it, or

(b) after the decision is made (where the decision is that the applicant is entitled to a reduction under an authority’s scheme) including at any time while the applicant is in receipt of such a reduction.

(2) The applicant (or any person acting on his behalf) must notify any change of circumstances which the applicant (or that person) might reasonably be expected to know might affect his entitlement to, or the amount of, a reduction under the authority’s scheme (a “relevant change of circumstances”) by giving notice to the authority—

(a) in writing; or

(b) by telephone—

(i) where the authority has published a telephone number for that purpose or for the purposes of Part 1 of Schedule 7 unless the authority determines that in any particular case or class of case notification may not be given by telephone; or

(ii) in any case or class of case where the authority determines that notice may be given by telephone; or

(c) by any other means which the authority agrees to accept in any particular case,

within a period of 21 days beginning with the day on which the change occurs, or as soon as reasonably practicable after the change occurs, whichever is later.

(3) The duty imposed on a person by sub-paragraph (1) does not extend to notifying—

(a) changes in the amount of council tax payable to the authority;

(b) changes in the age of the applicant or that of any member of his family;

(c) in the case of an applicant in receipt of a relevant benefit, changes in circumstances which affect the amount of the benefit but not the amount of the reduction under the authority’s scheme to which he is entitled, other than the cessation of that entitlement to the benefit.

(4) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (3)(c) “relevant benefit” means income support, an income-based jobseeker’s allowance or an income-related employment and support allowance or universal credit.

(5) Notwithstanding sub-paragraph (3)(b) or (c) an applicant is required by sub-paragraph (1) to notify the authority of any change in the composition of his family arising from the fact that a person who was a member of his family is now no longer such a person because he has ceased to be a child or young person.

(6) The duty imposed on a person by sub-paragraph (1) includes in the case of a person falling within class C (pensioners: alternative maximum council tax reduction), giving written notice to the authority of changes which occur in the number of adults in the dwelling or in their total gross incomes and, where any such adult ceases to be in receipt of state pension credit, the date when this occurs.

(7) A person who has been awarded a reduction under an authority’s scheme who is also on state pension credit must report—

(a) changes affecting the residence or income of any non-dependant normally residing with the applicant or with whom the applicant normally resides;

(b) any absence from the dwelling which exceeds or is likely to exceed 13 weeks.

(8) In addition to the changes required to be reported under sub-paragraph (7), a person whose state pension credit comprises only a savings credit must also report—

(a) changes affecting a child living with him which may result in a change in the amount of reduction under the authority’s scheme allowed in his case, but not changes in the age of the child;

(b) any change in the amount of the applicant’s capital to be taken into account which does or may take the amount of his capital to more than £16,000;

(c) any change in the income or capital of—

(i) a non-dependant whose income and capital are treated as belonging to the applicant in accordance with paragraph 12 of Schedule 1 (circumstances in which income of a non-dependant is to be treated as applicant’s); or

(ii) a person to whom paragraph 14(2)(e) of Schedule 1 refers (partner treated as member of the household under regulation 8),

and whether such a person or, as the case may be, non-dependant stops living or begins or resumes living with the applicant.

(9) A person who is entitled to a reduction under an authority’s scheme and on state pension credit need only report to the authority the changes specified in sub-paragraphs (7) and (8).