Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Changes in circumstances form

Complete the online form to tell us about any changes in your circumstances that may affect your Income Support claim.

You can use the form for changes about yourself or anyone under your claim.

Check the sections on this page to find out what changes you need to tell us about or the information you need to provide.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

If you’re having difficulties using our online services, you can send us your changes in circumstances by post or book an appointment.

Who can complete the online form

Anyone can use the changes in circumstances form including:

• the person claiming Income Support
• a person part of the household aged 16 and over
• an individual or organisation helping someone complete the form
• an individual or organisation reporting someone’s change in circumstances

If you think someone is claiming benefits they aren’t entitled to, you can report a benefit thief.

Salary and employment

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if you, or a member of your household:

• start working
  
• stop working
  
• have changes in your contract, including salary and hours worked
• change employer
• have regular changes in income
• receive a bonus
• have a loss of income due to temporary injury or illness
• provide profit and loss accounts (for self employed)
• cease trading as self-employed

You don’t need to tell us about short term changes in your pay in place for 4 weeks or less. For example, sickness cover or one off overtime.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

If you start work you need to provide details including:

• date you start
  
• first pay date
• hours per week and salary
• period your first pay covers

For other employment changes, you need to provide supporting documents. These must show details of your change, for example:

• contract of employment
• end of employment letter
• letter or email from your employer
• payslips

Stop working

If you stop working without good reasons you won’t receive the adult component of Income Support for 13 weeks.

This does not apply if you:

• are not expected to find work under Income Support rules. For example, if you’re a parent to a child under free nursery age or have a medical condition preventing you from working
  
• have a good reason for leaving your job. For example, compulsory redundancy

Speak to us first if you’re under your pension age and want to leave your job. We can advise on how you can avoid cuts in your benefits.

Check your pension age

Profit and loss accounts for self employed

If you’re self employed, you need to provide your profit and loss accounts. This is a breakdown of your income and expenditure.

You can upload your completed accounts on the changes in circumstances form.

If you need to complete your accounts, you can submit them using the following online form.

Profit and loss accounts form for self employed people on Income Support

Children and childcare

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if:

• you, or a member of your household, need help with childcare costs
• your childcare arrangements change
• you, or a member of your household, receive or pay maintenance
  
• a child moves in or out of your address
• a child in your household leaves full-time education or starts work
• a child leaves the Island to go to university
• a child returns from university
• the youngest child living at your address turns 25
  

Don’t tell us when your child is born. We’ll be automatically informed of your child’s birth and your claim will be updated.

Don't tell us if a child moves school.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

Depending on your change you need to provide supporting documents. These must show details of your change, for example:

• a letter, email or invoice from your childcare provider
  
• a letter or email from the absent parent or guardian
  
• a letter from the education provider
  
• a letter from Student finance
  

Help with childcare costs

You can receive additional benefits to help you pay for childcare if:

• you have the main responsibility for the care of a child
• your gross salary is more than the total cost of childcare
• you need the childcare hours to allow you to work. If you're on a zero hours contract, you’ll need to provide written confirmation from your employer of the hours you're expected to work whilst you need childcare
• you have an illness or disability that restricts your ability to care for a child

The childcare provider the child attends must be registered with the Childcare and Early Years Service or accredited by the Jersey Child Care Trust.

Information about childcare providers for parents.

Jersey Child Care Trust

Maintenance

We expect both parents to help with the costs of raising a child. If you’re separated and choose not to ask for child maintenance your Income Support claim will be affected.

Return from university

Your child can be added back to your claim when returning to the Island from university. This applies for periods outside of term time only, for example:

• Christmas
• Easter
• summer holidays

Your child cannot be added back to your claim for weekend returns or periods such as reading week.

Address and rent

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if you, or a member of your household:

• change address
• have a change in rent
  
• buy or sell any property or land

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

Depending on your change you need to provide supporting documents. These must show details of your change, for example:

• copy of your lease
• letter or email from your landlord
• letter from a lawyer, estate agent or mortgage provider
• the Proceeds of Sale

Changes in rent

If you’re renting a private property, there is a maximum amount of rent that we recognise. So your claim may not change if your rent increases. Find more information on housing, including the maximum levels of rent you can receive.

People in your household and relationship changes

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if:

• you, or a member of your household, enter an interdependent relationship
• you, or a member of your household, end an interdependent relationship
• a child, family or friends move in or out of your address
• a lodger moves in your address
• an international student temporarily moves in your address
  
• the youngest child living at your address turns 25
  

We take into account the income and capital of all the members of your household to calculate the amount of benefit you can receive. So it’s important that we know who are the members of your household.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

Depending on your change you may need to provide supporting documents. These must show details of your change and can be, for example, a letter or email from:

• the person leaving your household
  
• a parent or guardian confirming the address a child is moving to
• a letter or proof of studentship from the education provider the international student is studying with

Interdependent relationship

An interdependent relationship means a relationship in which 2 people commit to each other and share their lives as 1 unit. This includes couples who may or may not be in a marriage or civil partnership and may or may not live together.

Find out more on what we consider interdependent relationships.

Enter an interdependent relationship

If you enter an interdependent relationship you need to complete an Update Form. Do not complete the changes in circumstances online form.

Request an Update Form by email to income.support@gov.je or call Income Support on +44 (0)1534 444444.

Accounts, properties, investments and assets

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if you, or a member of your household:

• buy, sell or own property or land
  
• receive inheritance, lump sums, insurance payments or other assets and capital
  
• have a new bank account or close an account. This includes online banking providers, such as Revolut
• want to change your payment details
  

Don’t provide bank statements unless you’ve been asked to or have a significant change in your capital.

Find more information on the level of capital you can have before your Income Support is affected.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

Depending on your change you need to provide supporting documents. These must show details of your change, for example:

• a letter from your lawyer or Proceeds of Sale. You should have received a Proceeds of Sale document when you sold the property
  
• a letter from a lawyer or executor of the estate
  
• bank statements showing all transactions, name of the account holder, sort code and account numbers
  

Retirement and pensions

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if you, or a member of your household:

• are retiring
• start receiving a pension, other than your state pension
• have a pension increase

Don’t tell us about changes to your state pension. Your state pension is the pension paid by Jersey Social Security. We automatically update your Income Support claim with any changes to your state pension.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

Depending on your change you need to provide supporting documents. These must show details of your change, for example:

• an end of employment letter or email
  
• a letter or email from your pension provider

Other pensions

We need to know about other pensions you may receive , for example:

• an employer, including Government of Jersey employee pensions
• a private provider
• another country

Travelling off island

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if you, or a member of your household:

• travel off island
  
• go to university off island
  
• go to hospital in the UK

Don’t tell us if you travel off island for 28 days or less in your 12 month period.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Jobseekers

Jobseekers are not entitled to 28 days off the Island. If you’re a jobseeker, speak to your Back to Work advisor before booking any time off island. You may lose benefits if you travel off island. Find more information on penalties for failing to look for work.

Information you need to provide

If you travel or go to university off island, you'll need to provide confirmation from your travel provider, for example:

• boarding pass
  
• booking confirmation
  

For hospital stays in the UK you'll need to confirm:

• name of the person going to hospital
• date of admission
• date of discharge
  

We do not need to know the medical details of the hospital appointment or treatment.

How long you can be off island

Each member of your household can travel off the Island for 28 days or less in each 12-month period without your claim being affected. This can be as multiple journeys or 1 trip. Your 12 month period begins at the date you started to receive Income Support.

You need to tell us if you travel off the Island for 28 days or more in your 12 months period as this may affect your claim.

We don’t need to know if you travel for less than 28 days in your 12 month period.

You can travel more often if you’re going to the UK for medical reasons.

Education

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if you, or a member of your household:

• go into further education
• leave full time education
• receive a maintenance grant
• go on a work placement

Don’t tell us if a child moves school.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

Depending on your change you need to provide supporting documents. These must show details of your change, for example:

• a letter or proof of studentship from the education provider
• a letter or other document showing the term dates of the course
• a letter from Student finance

Maintenance grants

You must tell us if anyone in your household receives a maintenance grant from Student Finance. Maintenance grants are paid to help with costs of living whilst studying. If you don’t tell us you may be overpaid benefits you’ll need to repay.

Term dates and placements

If you're aged 25 or over and in an educational course we approved, tell us about your term dates and details of any placements. We can adjust your claim with what you're entitled to.

Health and caring

Changes you need to tell us

You need to tell us if you, or a member of your household:

• go to hospital in Jersey for 28 days or more
• go to hospital in the UK for 28 days or more
• start caring for someone with a long term illness, injury or disability

You don’t need to tell us about hospital stays of less than 28 days.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Information you need to provide

You'll need to confirm:

• name of the person going to hospital
• date of admission
• date of discharge
  

We do not need to know the medical details of the hospital appointment or treatment.

Long term illness or disability

If you have a long term illness or disability that has lasted, or will last, for at least 6 months, or you are terminally ill, you may be able to get extra payments as part of your Income Support claim.

Income Support: people with long term illnesses or disabilities

Going to the UK for medical reasons

You can go to hospital in the UK for appointments or treatments of up to 28 days without your claim being affected. You can do as many journeys as you need during the year.

You only need to tell us about appointments or treatments to hospital longer than 28 days.

Medical reasons include trips to:

• receive medical treatments
• be an inpatient in a UK hospital
• be outpatient in a UK hospital
• accompany a child
• accompany an ill person or elderly

Contact us to discuss your personal circumstances so you receive the additional support you’re entitled to.

If you normally work, you may be entitled to claim Short Term Incapacity Allowance (STIA)  while you're in hospital.

Accompany a child

One parent can accompany a child receiving medical treatments in the UK without your claim being affected. This applies to all journeys the child may need to do. To find out the number of days you can be off island see going to the UK for medical reasons.

Contact us to discuss your personal circumstances so you receive the support you’re entitled to.

Accompany an elderly or ill person 

You can accompany someone aged 75 or over, or an ill person the hospital confirmed needs you to travel with them. This applies to all journeys the person may need to do, without your claim being affected. To find out the number of days you can be off island see going to the UK for medical reasons.

Contact us to discuss your personal circumstances so you receive the support you’re entitled to.

Caring for someone with a serious health condition or disability

You may be able to receive carer’s benefits if you become the main carer of a person with a long-term illness, injury or disability. This is called Income Support carer’s component. Tell us if you start being a carer by completing the changes in circumstances form.

As a carer you may also be entitled to Home Carer’s Allowance.

You can claim Income Support and Home Carer’s Allowance at the same time. However, your Income Support payments will be adjusted with the amount of Home Carer’s Allowance you may receive.

Closing your claim

Tell us about any changes that affect your claim using the changes in circumstances form.

Even if you think you no longer need Income Support, you may still be entitled to some Income Support after changes to your claim have been made.

You cannot close your claim without providing details and supporting documents.

If you request for your claim to be closed without providing details, we may decide the date your claim will be closed. This could result in you having to repay benefits.

Tell Income Support about changes in circumstances

Leaving the Island

If you want to close your claim because you’re leaving the Island, complete the following online form. We’ll be automatically informed and your claim will be updated.

Tell us you're leaving the Island

Leaving the Island for more than 3 months

Help with emergency costs

We may be able to help you cover emergency costs. For example, dental treatment or cooker replacement.

Special payments: help with emergency costs

Book an appointment

You can book an appointment with our teams if you’re having difficulties using our online services or want to discuss your personal circumstances. You can also call the department on +44 (0) 1534 444444.

Book an appointment with the work and family hub (under pension age)

Book an appointment with the pensions and care hub (over pension age)