Citizens Advice: Check if you can pay less council tax

By Kirklees Citizens Advice & Law Centre chief executive Nick Whittingham

Many of us are feeling overwhelmed as we see our basic bills and essential costs go up. You’re not alone in finding things difficult and, crucially, there’s support available.

Firstly, there are discounts available to some people depending on their circumstances. You can check your bill or contact your council to find out if you might be eligible for an automatic reduction to your council tax.

If you’re not getting a discount, you might still be entitled to one – it depends who lives in the property. So, if you’re the only adult in your home, you’ll get a 25 per cent discount on your council tax bill.

When working out how many people live in a property, some people aren’t counted – they’re called ‘disregarded people’ and include under 18s, a student nurse or someone on an apprenticeship scheme and many more. If everyone who lives in the property is disregarded, you will still receive a council tax bill, but it will have a 50 per cent discount. However, if everyone in your home is a student or severely mentally impaired, you won’t pay any council tax.

Additionally, if someone has moved out, tell the council as this might change your eligibility. If you’re entitled to a discount as a result, it will be valid from the date when the person moved out, even if you told the council after the event, and the reduction may be backdated.

If you are on a low income, you might be able to get your council tax reduced. If you get benefits or have other people living with you, this might affect how much your council tax is reduced by.

Your local council will ask you details about your income and your circumstances, so they can work out if you’re entitled to a council tax reduction. They will then calculate your new bill and tell you how much council tax you need to pay.

You may also be eligible for additional support if you’ve reached State Pension age which you can check on the government website can http://GOV.UK. If you’re under State Pension age, the ‘working age rules’ apply and if you’ve reached State Pension age, it depends if you or your partner get certain benefits.

The working age rules still apply if you’ve reached State Pension age and you or your partner get:

● Universal Credit

● Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

● Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

● Income Support

We know that times are incredibly tough and council tax is a priority bill so it’s important to keep in contact with your council if you can’t keep up payments.

If you would like to speak to Kirklees Citizens Advice and Law Centre, you can call us on 0808 278 7896 (Freephone), or visit our contact centre in Dewsbury, where we help thousands of people each year. You may be coming to us for the first time, but we can help with issues such as housing, employment, debt, benefits, and more. See our website at http://www.kcalc.org.uk for more information and opening times.