Types of change to tell Social Security Scotland about

Changes to personal and contact details

Social Security Scotland need to keep your personal and contact details up to date, so they can keep in touch about your payments. This includes how you want to be contacted, like getting your letters in Braille or a language other than English.

Name

This could be following a marriage or civil partnership, or if you’ve legally changed your name.

Address

This could be if you’ve moved house or changed address:

• in Scotland
• to another part of the UK
• to outside the UK

Update how Social Security Scotland should contact you

This could be:

• if you have a new telephone number or email address you’d like them to use
• you want Social Security Scotland to send your letters to a different address than your own
• you do not have a fixed address and you want Social Security Scotland to send your letters to where you are currently staying, or an address you feel comfortable collecting from
• you want to change the way you want Social Security Scotland to contact you, including by phone, British Sign Language video call or letter
• whether you'd like to get letters in other formats including Braille, easy read, large print, or audio file
• whether you'd like to get calls and letters in a language other than English
• whether you'd like to get text messages or emails about other benefits or surveys available from Social Security Scotland

If you're a British Sign Language user, you can use the Contact Scotland service to contact Social Security Scotland by video call.

Payment details

Social Security Scotland need your most up to date payment details to make sure you receive your Adult Disability Payment.

Tell them about any changes to your:

• bank account
• building society
• credit union
• other agreed payment arrangement

For your security, you cannot send any change in payment details using the paper or online form. Call Social Security Scotland free to report a change to your payment details.

Changes to your disability or condition or the help you need

For your Adult Disability Payment, Social Security Scotland need to know the most up to date information about your:

• symptoms
• diagnosis, if available
• medications
• treatments
• needs

They also need to know about your mental or physical ability to carry out the following activities:

• preparing food
• taking nutrition (eating or drinking)
• managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
• washing and bathing
• managing toilet needs or incontinence
• dressing and undressing
• communicating verbally
• reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
• engaging socially with other people face to face
• making budgeting decisions
• planning and following journeys
• moving around

This includes information about:

• your ability to carry out these activities safely
• any tools or support you may need
• the mental or physical impact of carrying out these activities

Changes involving a terminal illness

If you have a terminal illness, call Social Security Scotland for free. We have specialist advisors who can help take you through the process at your own pace.

When to tell Social Security Scotland

You must tell Social Security Scotland if your disability, condition or needs have changed in the longer term. This could be if there is a change to:

• your symptoms, diagnosis, medications and treatments
• your ability to carry out one or more of the activities
• the level of help or care you need
• the tools or equipment you need

You should also tell Social Security Scotland about any emotional, mental or physical distress you experience due to these changes.

You do not need to tell Social Security Scotland if your condition changes on a day to day basis, unless this is a new condition or it changes in the longer term.

Changes to your care arrangements

You must also tell Social Security Scotland if you:

• you go into or come out of hospital (overnight or for a longer period) or hospice
• move away from Scotland, either temporarily or permanently
• you go into or come out of a care home or residential care
• you go into or come out of a residential educational establishment, prison or other detention facility

You do not need to tell Social Security Scotland about routine or clinical appointments or day treatments in hospital.

If you get other benefits from Social Security Scotland

If you get other benefits from Social Security Scotland like Best Start Foods or Scottish Child Payment, you may need to tell them about changes not shown here.

You can find out about other changes you need to tell Social Security Scotland about if you get Best Start Foods or Scottish Child Payment.