Moving house on benefits: who to tell, and when

Moving house is on gov.uk's list of changes you have to report if you get benefits, and there's no single form that covers all of them. gov.uk is direct about it: "You'll need to report your change to more than one organisation if you get more than one benefit." A household on Universal Credit with a child and a disability benefit can easily have three separate reports to make, one of them to HMRC for Child Benefit.

Not reporting it has a cost. If you're paid too much because the address or rent on a claim is out of date, gov.uk says you may have to pay it back, and you might also face a £50 penalty. Deliberately not reporting a change is treated as benefit fraud.

Who to tell, benefit by benefit (England and Wales)

The HMRC update is covered in detail on HMRC change of address. It can only be done once you've moved, and if you claim Child Benefit it's the claimant's sign-in, not their partner's.

Universal Credit: report it on the day, and report the rent too

Universal Credit wants changes reported "as soon as they happen", and it lists "moving to a new address" and "your rent going up or down" as separate changes. If the housing costs part of your claim is based on the old rent, the new tenancy needs reporting as well as the address. Timing matters more than it looks, because gov.uk says a change "can affect how much you're paid for your whole assessment period - not just from the date you report them."

If the move means you'll be entitled to more, for example because the new rent is higher, gov.uk says you can apply for an advance on your payment.

Housing Benefit: moving can end a claim you can't restart

Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit, and that shapes what happens when you move. New claims are only open to people who have reached State Pension age or who live in supported, sheltered or temporary housing. gov.uk spells out the consequence: if your Housing Benefit is stopped, "you cannot start getting it again unless you and your partner are eligible to make a new claim." Below State Pension age, moving out of supported, sheltered or temporary housing ends it outright, and help with the new rent comes through Universal Credit instead.

Council Tax Reduction is separate again. You apply for it through your local council, so a move to a new council area means applying to the new one. Northern Ireland has a different scheme.

In Scotland: Social Security Scotland's benefits

Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment, Carer Support Payment, Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Foods are paid by Social Security Scotland, not DWP. You tell them through the online form on mygov.scot or free on 0800 182 2222 (8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday). Have your National Insurance number and the date of the move ready.

• Tell them after you've moved, not before. For Adult Disability Payment, mygov.scot says "tell Social Security Scotland after you've moved", and they'll need proof of the new address, such as a bank statement or a utility bill.
• Phone rather than use the form if you're moving outside the UK or won't have a permanent address.
• DWP still needs telling for its own benefits. mygov.scot lists Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based JSA and income-related ESA as DWP's, and Housing Benefit as the council's.
• It isn't optional. mygov.scot warns that not reporting a change straight away may be an offence under the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018.

Moving across the Scottish border: the 13-week rule

Disability and carer benefits don't follow you across the border. They stop, and you claim the other system's equivalent. Both directions give you up to 13 weeks, and both sides say the same thing about when to apply: straight away, not at the end.

• Tell the old side promptly. If you don't, you could be paid for longer than you're entitled to and have to pay it back.
• Moving in, a successful Scottish claim may be backdated to the day after the DWP or Department for Communities benefit ends. mygov.scot says the backdated period depends on your circumstances.
• Think about your carer. If a disability benefit stops, even briefly, mygov.scot warns it can affect the Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment of whoever looks after you.

In Northern Ireland

nidirect lists change of address as a change you must report, with its own set of offices:

• Universal Credit: your Universal Credit online account.
• PIP: the Personal Independence Payment Centre. ESA: the Employment and Support Allowance Centre.
• Carer's Allowance, DLA and Attendance Allowance: the Disability and Carers Service.
• Housing Benefit: the Housing Executive, not the council.
• State Pension and Pension Credit: the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.
• Child Benefit: the Child Benefit online service or the Child Benefit Office.
• Everything else, including New Style JSA: your local Jobs & Benefits office.

One thing a benefit gets you on moving day

If anyone in the household gets a means-tested benefit, Royal Mail's redirection has a cheaper concessionary rate. gov.uk lists it among the extras Pension Credit brings. Plenty of eligible people never hear about it, and it can't be bought in a minute online the way standard redirection can, so it needs starting early. The rates and how to apply are on Royal Mail redirection: how long do you need?

Where it fits in the move

Most of these belong in the first few days after moving day: Social Security Scotland and HMRC both want the new address once you're in. Universal Credit wants it as soon as it happens. Housing Benefit is the one to raise with the council before the move, while you can still change your mind. The rest of the list is on who to notify when moving house.

MovePlan has no letter for benefits. Most of these are an online account, a form or a phone call, and the ones that take post each have their own address and their own details to include. What it does is put the rest of the move into a dated plan from your move date and draft 13 address-change letters from your details, for the bank, the councils, DVLA and the others that do take post. It doesn't contact DWP, Social Security Scotland or anyone else for you.