Who Qualifies for Help with Council Tax

Who Qualifies for Help with Council Tax

The council will not reduce the CTR amount you will receive if the other adult is your partner or if they are also responsible for paying council tax. Each city council is responsible for implementing its own municipal tax support system, so the amount of assistance provided across the country may vary. Your local council can choose whether or not to receive a discount for an empty property. You should check your local council`s rules on their website. You may be able to get another discount called a “second adult discount”. The person you live with must have a low income or receive certain benefits. You may be able to get a benefit called Second Adult Rebate instead to help you with your housing tax. We`ll find out what`s best for you when you apply for housing tax assistance. Learn more about the second discount for adults. When you receive a CTR, you usually don`t receive an actual payment. The council will reduce the amount of council tax you will have to pay. Local councils grant a 50% discount on an outbuilding inside a main building if the outbuilding is used by people living in the main building or by their immediate family members, including parents and young people.

Your local council will ask you for details of your income and situation in order to find out if you are eligible for a housing tax reduction (CTR). They will then prepare your new bill and tell you how much housing tax you will have to pay. If you are struggling to pay your housing tax due to financial difficulties, seek advice as soon as possible. Talk to your local Age UK or Citizens Advice or read our debt advice section. The full council tax is calculated assuming there are 2 or more people living in each house – if you live alone, you must apply for a discount from your local council. You can get a 25% discount, regardless of your financial situation. If your invoice shows that your local council has given a discount and you think you should not have had one, you must inform your local council within 21 days. If you don`t, your local council could fine you £70. If you share the account with your partner, you`ll get savings of £16,000. If you have a low income, you may be able to reduce your council tax. If you receive benefits or if other people live with you, this may affect the amount of your council tax reduction. If you receive the guarantee loan as part of the pension credit, you can even get your housing tax paid in full.

If you don`t get a collateral loan, but have a low income and less than £16,000 in savings, you can still get help. Your city council may offer a discount on your property if it is empty for any reason – for example, it needs work to occupy it safely. Because local councils run their own tax assistance programs, how you make a claim may vary depending on where you live. If you own capital with someone else who is not your partner, you are usually treated as if you own half of it. For example, if you have a joint savings account with your son worth £16,000, you will be treated as if you had £8,000 in savings. If everyone who lives in the property is not taken into account, there will still be a housing tax bill, but there will be a 50% discount. If everyone in your home is a student or severely mentally disabled, you won`t pay council tax. Instead, council will charge the rate for a lower municipal tax bracket. If the property is in volume D, the housing tax bill will be prepared as if it were in volume C.

This discount also applies to Group A apartments. If you qualify for a discount because someone moved, let the board know. You are entitled to the reduction from the moment the person moves, even if you have communicated it to the Council later. Other people may also be ignored – for example, some caregivers living in the household. Your local council will tell you if they are not taken into account when you apply. If your property is vacant and has little or no furniture, your city council may reduce your council tax. The council will tell you how long it will reduce your council tax. Even if you qualify for housing tax assistance, you may be able to get additional help in certain circumstances if you have exceptional difficulties and are having trouble paying your council tax. You can still get help even if you don`t qualify for tax assistance from the municipality. Learn more about discretionary council tax payments. If your outbuilding is empty, you will not have to pay housing tax on it.

Counselors may have a distress fund available for people in financial difficulty. Contact your local board to find out what funds, if any, are available and how to apply. You may be able to appeal to an assessment tribunal. If the court agrees with you, it can order your council to reduce or even cancel your council tax bill. You can automatically receive a discount on your housing tax bill. If you`re not sure if you`re already getting a discount, check your bill or contact the council. Your counsel`s contact information can be found on GOV.UK. If you have a holiday home or a second home, you will have to pay housing tax on it.

Some tips sometimes offer a “second home discount” because no one lives there permanently. This discount may only be for a short time, but could save up to 50%.