Why Do You Need to Change Your Address with the DWP when Moving House?

Moving home can be a very stressful process as there is so much to do.  Not only do you need to pack everything up, you also need to deal with all the utility bills, insurance, update any delivery services, banks, the list goes on and on.  One thing few people consider is updating the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).  So why do you need to change your address with the DWP?

You need to change your address registered with the DWP to ensure you don’t miss important information being sent to you from HMRC and to ensure you receive the right amount of benefits.

It can be a daunting task to update so many institutions one by one, which is why many people are now using a change of address service to manage the process for them.

Here’s why keeping your details up-to-date with the DWP is so important.

What is the DWP?

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the British Government department responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. It is the UK’s largest public service department and administers the State Pension and a number of working age, disability and ill health benefits.

The department has four operational organisations: 

• Jobcentre Plus– administers working age benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Pension Service– pays the Basic State Pension and Pension Credit
• Disability and Carers Service– provides financial support to disabled people and their carers
• Child Maintenance Group– provides the statutory Child Support Schemes

They need to have an accurate record of where their customers live in order to send them the correct payments and communicate with them effectively. 

Do I need to inform DWP of a change of address?

Yes, if you’re claiming benefits from the DWP – such as Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit – you’ll need to let them know about any changes to your circumstances which might affect your payments.

Keep in mind you should also inform DWP of any changes to your other contact details, for example contact number, or bank details.

Why Do I Need to Update My Address with the DWP?

The DWP is an essential institution to update your address with when moving house. It is important that you notify the DWP of your house move for a number of reasons.

First, you need to update your details with the DWP to ensure you get the right amount of benefits. If you fail to keep your details up-to-date, your claim could be reduced or stopped altogether. In fact, if you deliberately don’t report changes to your address, you are actually committing benefit fraud.

Additionally, you’ll need to change your address with the DWP to ensure you don’t miss out on any important correspondence when they’re sent to your previous property. Missing any crucial updates or notifications regarding your State Pension or benefits could cause all kinds of problems later down the line.

Finally, you don’t want your confidential personal information falling into the wrong hands. If you forget to change your DWP address before moving, information about your Pension or benefits could be sent to someone else. It’s important to prevent this from happening to avoid identity theft.

To ensure you can prove your identity when it comes to contacting the DWP, it is also important to inform them of any other changes too, such as if:

• If your name has changed
• If your taxable income has changed
• If your gender has changed
• If your family name has changes

How Do I Report a Change of Circumstances to the DWP?

Who you need to tell when updating your details with the DWP depends on which benefits you receive. If you get more than one benefit from the government, you’ll need to report your change to more than one DWP organisation.

Here are the organisations you may need to notify when updating your DWP information:

• Universal Credit
• Personal Independence Payment Centre
• Employment and Support Allowance Centre
• Incapacity Benefit branch
• Disability and Carers Service
• Bereavement Service
• Housing Executive
• Child Benefit Office
• Pension Centre
• Jobs and Benefits Office

Will Changing My DWP Address Affect My Benefits?

Changing your address with the DWP can affect your benefits in a number of ways.

For example, if you claim housing benefit, the amount you receive is dependent on the local housing allowance set for each individual local authority.

It is also broadly based upon the market value of rental property in a given area. Thus, moving to areas where rent is either higher or lower will impact upon the amount of housing benefit you get.

Newer legislation also means that the number of people living in a property can influence your housing benefit.

This rule, often referred to as the Bedroom Tax, means that housing benefit can change if the property includes unoccupied living space.

For this reason, moving to a house on your own can lead to a reduction in the housing benefit you can claim.

How can I easily update my address with everyone?

If the thought of calling up lots of call centres, sending a lot of emails and filling out lots of online forms fills you with dread, there is another way to approach updating your address.

Slothmove.com is an online service that helps you tell everyone you’re changing address, saving you many hours of reparative work.  

The service covers an impressive range of suppliers, allowing you to update not only the DWP but also the DVLA for your driving licence, utility firms, internet providers and loyalty cards.

Note this isn’t a free service and you’ll pay a charge starting from £20 depending on how many services you need updating.  However, if you’ve ever moved home before you’ll know it can take many hours and many phone calls (listing to a lot of hold music!) to get all this sorted.

Final Thoughts

There is so much to think about and do when moving home that forgetting to update details is easy to do.  For some services this won’t be much of an issue, but forgetting to update the DWP can negatively impact you financially and so it’s very important to ensure they’ve always got the correct contact details for you.