ESA Change of Address: How to Update Your Details
If you're moving home and claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), you need to tell Jobcentre Plus your new address. This guide covers how to report the change, what else it might affect, and how to update every other account you hold in one go.
Table of Contents
How to report an ESA change of address
You can report your ESA change of address in two ways.
Call Jobcentre Plus: Phone 0800 169 0310 and give them your change of circumstances and new address. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, use the textphone service on 0800 169 0314, or Relay UK on 18001 then 0800 169 0310. In Welsh, call 0800 328 1744.
Write to Jobcentre Plus: Send a letter confirming your new address to the Jobcentre Plus office that pays your ESA. You’ll find this address on any recent letter they’ve sent you.
For the official guidance, see the GOV.UK ESA change of circumstances page.
Do you need to update your address with ESA?
Yes. Even though a house move on its own doesn’t change how much ESA you’re entitled to, Jobcentre Plus still needs your correct address to keep paying you and to send you any correspondence about your claim. If you don’t report it, your payments could be delayed, reduced, or stopped.
If you’ve been paid ESA at your old address after you’ve moved and this leads to an overpayment, you’ll usually need to pay it back. You can read more about how overpayments work on the official GOV.UK benefit overpayments page.
What counts as a change in circumstances
ESA asks you to report a range of changes, not just your address. The full list includes:
- Moving home
- A change to anyone else’s benefits in your household
- Starting to get sick pay, or money from a charity
- Changing your name
- A change to other income, such as Student Finance or grants
- Starting an apprenticeship or other training
- Someone moving into or out of your home, such as a partner or child
- Starting education or work, or a change to your savings, investments, property or pension
- Going into hospital, a care home or sheltered accommodation
- Changing your doctor, or any change to your medical condition or disability
- Leaving the UK, for any length of time
If you’re not sure whether something needs reporting, it’s worth calling Jobcentre Plus and asking rather than leaving it.
When should you report a change of address?
Report your new address to Jobcentre Plus as soon as you know your move-in date. Reporting promptly means your payments and correspondence carry on without a gap, and avoids the risk of an overpayment building up that you’d later need to repay.
If you’re on income-related ESA, a house move can sometimes prompt a conversation about moving onto Universal Credit. It’s worth checking your position with Citizens Advice before you move if this applies to you.
Does moving house affect your ESA payments?
Moving home isn’t classed as a change of circumstances that affects the amount of ESA you receive. You still need to report it, but your payments themselves shouldn’t change as a result of the move alone. Other means-tested support, such as Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, can be affected by a move, so check those separately with your new council.
Updating everything else when you move
Alongside ESA, most people moving home also need to update HMRC, their council, the NHS, the DVLA, their bank and their energy supplier. Reporting each one separately by phone or post takes hours.
SlothMove is a home address updating service that lets you update your address across dozens of organisations in one go, using a single signed Letter of Authority. If you’re also claiming State Pension or Child Benefit, we cover those too: State Pension change of address and Child Benefit change of address.
See the full list of organisations SlothMove can notify on your behalf on our change of address hub and home address updating page.
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FAQs
Do I need to update my address with ESA?
Yes. You must tell Jobcentre Plus your new address as soon as you move, so your ESA payments continue without interruption.
How do I update my address with ESA?
Call Jobcentre Plus on 0800 169 0310, or write to the Jobcentre Plus office shown on your most recent ESA letter.
Does moving house affect my ESA?
Moving home isn’t classed as a change of circumstances that affects your ESA amount, but you must still report it. Other benefits, such as Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, may be affected.
What other accounts do I need to update when I move?
Alongside ESA, most people also need to update HMRC, their council, the DVLA, the NHS and their bank. SlothMove can update these in one go.
About SlothMove
SlothMove has helped over 75,000 UK residents update their address across government and private organisations since 2019. We are an ICO-registered data controller, GDPR compliant, and backed by Taylor Rose MW, one of the UK’s
leading conveyancing firms.