Council tax support
Council Tax Support is a scheme to reduce council tax bills for people on a low income. You can apply whether you are in or out of work. Homeowners can also get this help, regardless of the value of your home.
Council Tax Reduction 2024/25
Will I qualify?
Before you complete an application form please check the table below to see whether you may qualify for a Council Tax Reduction (CTR). This will save you time filling in a form and submitting evidence if you are not going to qualify.
You may wish to use our Benefits Calculator to see if you will qualify. This will tell you about other benefits and support you may be eligible for.
To apply you must be the person liable to pay Council Tax - this means your name is on the Council Tax bill and your savings, if you have any, must be less than £16,000.
|
CTR Scheme |
Details of the Scheme |
Potential Council Tax Reduction (CTR) |
Deductions for other adults |
|
Pension Age |
Calculated using your household composition, your income and the income of your household members (if you have any) |
Up to 100% of your Council Tax liability |
£4.90, £10.05, £12.60 or £15.10 per week. The amount deducted will depend on their weekly income |
|
Working Age Scheme 1 |
You or your partner (if you have one) receive: - Disability Living Allowance - Personal Independence Payment - Armed Forces Independence Payment - Attendance Allowance |
Up to 78% of your Council Tax liability |
None |
|
Working Age Scheme 2 |
You have one or more dependent child in your household, and you and your partner (if you have one) are receiving: - Income Support, - Income based Jobseekers Allowance, Income related Employment Support Allowance OR receiving - Universal Credit and not working OR receiving - Contribution based Employment Support Allowance and not working |
Up to 65% of your Council Tax liability |
£10 per week if the adult is not working or a full time student
£20 per week if the adult is working
There is no deduction if the adult receives Carers Allowance |
|
Working Age Scheme 3 |
You have no dependent child in your household and you and your partner (if you have one) are receiving: - Income Support, - Income based Jobseekers Allowance, Income related Employment Support Allowance OR receiving: - Universal Credit and not working OR receiving: - Contribution based Employment Support Allowance and not working |
Up to 55% of your Council Tax liability |
£10 per week if the adult is not working or a full time student
£20 per week if the adult is working
There is no deduction if the adult receives Carers Allowance |
|
Working Age Scheme 4 |
You have one or more dependent child in your household, you and/or your partner (if you have one) are working and have combined net earnings of less than £313 per week; OR not working and not receiving a state benefit that you might be entitled to |
Up to 51% of your Council Tax liability |
£10 per week if the adult is not working or a full time student
£20 per week if the adult is working
There is no deduction if the adult receives Carers Allowance |
|
Working Age Scheme 5 |
You have no dependent children in your household and you and/or your partner (if you have one) are working and have combined net earnings of less than £234 per week; OR not working and not receiving a state benefit that you might be entitled to |
Up to 41% of your Council Tax liability |
£10 per week if the adult is not working or a full time student
£20 per week if the adult is working
There is no deduction if the adult receives Carers Allowance |
|
Minimum Award |
If Council Tax Reduction is calculated at less than £10.00 per week, Council Tax Reduction is not awarded. |
||
What do we mean by "Deductions for other adults"?
Apart from you and your partner (if you have one), other adults living in your property are expected to contribute to your Council Tax bill. We will take a deduction (sometimes referred to as a non-dependant deduction) from any Council Tax Reduction you qualify for in respect of each adult, depending on their income and circumstances. For further information please visit Deductions
Universal Credit
If you have recently applied for Universal Credit and ticked that you would like to apply for Council Tax Reduction, your application should be forwarded to us by the Department for Work and Pensions so you will not need to complete an online claim form.
- We will contact you if we need more information to process your application.
- If we have all the information we need we will process your application for Council Tax Reduction and notify you of your award either by email or letter.
If you are making an application for Council Tax Reduction and already receive Universal Credit you need to submit proof of your Universal Credit award when you complete your application form, this can be accessed from your online journal. Here is an example Universal Credit monthly statement (PDF 109KB)
Second Adult Rebate for Pension Age applicants only
If you are single and pension age but you do not qualify for Council Tax Reduction, you can apply for Second Adult Rebate if:
- you share your home with another adult who is not your partner, and
- they are on a low income and unable to pay towards the Council Tax for your property.
Second Adult rebate is calculated using the income of the other adult that you share your home with. It can cover up to 25% of the Council Tax charge for your home.
If the other adult’s income is over £344.00 per week you will not qualify for Second Adult Rebate.