Tower Hamlets Council Tax Reduction: Reporting a Change of Circumstances

Once you have a Council Tax Reduction award in Tower Hamlets, you are legally required to report any change that could affect it. The council does not always find out automatically, and the deadlines are asymmetric — beneficial and non-beneficial changes have different rules.

Changes That Increase Your Award (Beneficial)

If your income drops, you lose your job, a non-dependant moves out, or anything else happens that should increase your CTR award, you have one calendar month to report it.

Report within one month and the higher award is applied retroactively to the date the change happened. Miss the window and the increase applies only from the Monday after you eventually notify — you forfeit the weeks in between.

Changes That Decrease Your Award (Non-Beneficial)

If your income rises, a new adult moves into your home, your savings grow above £6,000, or anything else happens that should reduce your CTR, you must report it immediately. There is no one-month grace period.

Failing to report a non-beneficial change creates an overpayment. The council will recalculate your award back to the date the change occurred and add the excess to your council tax account as a debt.

Common Changes to Report

• Starting a new job or increasing your hours
• Your partner moving in or out
• An adult child (non-dependant) starting work or moving in
• Receiving a new benefit or your UC award changing
• Savings increasing above the £6,000 limit
• Leaving the country for more than four weeks
• Another adult moving into your property

What About Universal Credit Fluctuations?

If you are on UC with variable earnings, the DWP sends Tower Hamlets an automatic data feed each time your UC amount changes. The council then recalculates your CTR and adjusts your remaining council tax instalments.

You do not need to report every monthly UC fluctuation manually — the automated feed handles it. But you should report changes the DWP would not know about, such as a new non-dependant moving in or a lump sum entering your savings account.

How to Report

Use the Tower Hamlets online benefits portal to submit a change of circumstances notification. You can also email the Benefits Service or call 020 7364 5001 — but written notification is always stronger evidence than a phone call if a dispute arises later.

For a full list of reportable changes and how each one affects your award calculation, the Tower Hamlets Council Tax Reduction Guide covers the reporting rules alongside the overpayment and underlying entitlement process.

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