Bank Account / Building Society Change (Info)

Changes to the details of a bank or building society account can be accepted from

• The claimant or their partner
   
• The bank or building society
   
• The claimant’s personal acting body, but not their agent

Bank or building society accounts can be changed up to 7 days in advance.

Claimant reports the change

If the claimant reports a change to their bank details you must check for Compliance or suspicious activity.

If there is no Compliance or suspicious activity, contact the claimant to confirm the details and obtain any missing information.

Bank or building society reports the change

These types of changes are notified by a bank or building society when a claimant opens a new bank account. They should have signed authority from the claimant.

If any information is missing, you must contact the claimant to provide the missing information. The change can then be made.

Contact Centre referral

If you are dealing with a bank change referred to you by a Contact Centre you do not need to confirm the details with the claimant.

Types of bank changes

Claimants may report a change to an existing bank or building society account which may result in a change to their method of payment. For example, a claimant reports their bank account has closed and does not have a new bank account. This will mean a change to their payment method from BACS to cashcheque.

If the claimant does not have a new bank or building society account for their tax credits to be paid into, they will need to open one. Until their new account details have been received their payments will be made by cashcheque.

Any bank or building society account that will accept a BACS payment is acceptable.

Whilst the Tax Credit Office will allow tax credits payments to be made into third party or appointee bank accounts, some banks require the claimant to be the account holder before accepting payments. In these circumstances it will be necessary for the claimant to provide acceptable new bank account details.

If the bank does not require the claimant to be the account holder, business accounts, children’s accounts and relative’s accounts are acceptable. If payments are not made into an account in the claimant or partner’s name and there are any other changes or activity on the claim that leads you to think that the change is suspicious, refer the change to Compliance.