Council Tax Reduction

Leigh14

Can anyone offer advice on this please. I am receiving UC and LWRCA. As we all know, council tax has increased. Last year, due to COVID, I was lucky enough to get a discount which reduced my monthly bill to £18.00, rather than the original payment of £37.00 (an increase of £10.00 from the year before) This year it will be £39.00.
I’m wondering what other benefits they may include when they decide on reductions? Hoping someone here might have some knowledge on it. I cannot get hold of my local council, due to covid, they aren’t really in the offices. I tried a benefit calculator, and that brought my monthly figure down to £3 something.

Sorry, that’s a long post?

janer1967

Hi there 

Council tax reduction is different for each council and the criteria for which benefits count are set by the local council so we are unable to advise 

The covid discount received last year hasn't been granted this year I dont think it hadn't on mine so may just have been a one off 

calcotti

Leigh14 said: I’m wondering what other benefits they may include when they decide on reductions? 

For most councils claimants who are also on UC will have the CTR entitlement based on the information contained in the UC award (the local authority gets that information from DWP). However, as others have advised, each local authority can vary the rules, the maximum level of support and the capital limits.

janer1967

@woodbine I had my bill the other day and there is no covid reduction on mine 

I didnt get £150 last year but the amount I got took my bill to zero so got a refund for payments I had already made 

OverlyAnxious

I've just had my bill in which suggests it's not free again this year and I'll have to pay £5 a month - perfectly content to pay that myself though.

Last year it was £8 a month (before the reduction came in) and I have absolutely no idea why it would be cheaper this year.  I did gain PIP, SDP and the 1bed rate of HB during the year.  Are any of those likely to give a greater discount?  

It's not a complaint at all, I'm just intrigued! 

calcotti

janer1967 said:

@woodbine I had my bill the other day and there is no covid reduction on mine 

I didnt get £150 last year but the amount I got took my bill to zero so got a refund for payments I had already made 

You can't get a credit for more than the liability!

calcotti

OverlyAnxious said:

I've just had my bill in which suggests it's not free again this year and I'll have to pay £5 a month - perfectly content to pay that myself though.

Last year it was £8 a month (before the reduction came in) and I have absolutely no idea why it would be cheaper this year.  I did gain PIP, SDP and the 1bed rate of HB during the year.  Are any of those likely to give a greater discount?  

It's not a complaint at all, I'm just intrigued! 

CTR would include SDP in calculation if applicable.

Leigh14

Thankyou to each and everyone of you for your replies. I cannot understand how, when I was working 3/4 years ago, my CT was the same amount as it is now! Think I need to look into it further. All very confusing?

MarkM88

Im not sure if it’s national or just my local authority. 

However I got my CT bill March 1st and a separate email saying they are applying the £150 discount again and will show up on CT accounts from 1st April. 

calcotti

MarkN88 said:

Im not sure if it’s national or just my local authority. 

However I got my CT bill March 1st and a separate email saying they are applying the £150 discount again and will show up on CT accounts from 1st April. 

I have seen that a number of councils are doing that but haven't been able to find information on what finance government has provided to support that and therefore whether we can expect all councils to do it.

janer1967

@calcotti yes I know you cant get more than the liability that's why I said it took my bill to zero 

MarkM88

calcotti said:

I have seen that a number of councils are doing that but haven't been able to find information on what finance government has provided to support that and therefore whether we can expect all councils to do it.

Yeah agreed I can’t find any information about government support either. 

I did check out 4 neighbouring councils and they have on their websites too about offering the discount. 

Time will tell I suppose. 

calcotti

janer1967 said:

@calcotti yes I know you cant get more than the liability that's why I said it took my bill to zero 

Problem of the written word - tone is not communicated. It was meant to be a jocular comment (hence the exclamation mark).

calcotti

Thanks, Mike. I didn’t think to check budget announcements. (I’m going to ignore your dig at our internet searching skills.)

So what will have happened, due to the timing, is that council’s have prepared and issued bills before the announcement and will now have to issue revised bills. Wouldn’t It be good if government announced things a bit more in advance.

Leigh14

My issue has been a mistake, and totally confusing to say the least. My son is at college and will be going to Uni later this year. On my CT bill, they have him down as a non-independent. I may still have to pay this higher amount until September!
Have emailed them, and hopefully will get sorted????

Leigh14

This council tax business is so very complicated and confusing.
My circumstances haven’t changed for the last few years, apart from the extra £20 for UC. The last council tax bill was reduced due to Covid. I’m now being told this morning that every year, UC notify Council Tax of current situations, and because of this, mine has increased! 
The only thing I know of that has changed is the £20 extra (until September) Surely, they wouldn’t increase council tax because of that would they? 

calcotti

Leigh14 said: The only thing I know of that has changed is the £20 extra (until September) Surely, they wouldn’t increase council tax because of that would they? 

No that will not be it. from what you've posted it's the non-dependant deduction that is the issue. Have you contacted your council about this and explained your son's status?

Leigh14

I contacted them last week and was informed that it was because of son’s status, and would be updated once I was able to provide proof of him going to Uni in Sept. This I did, and rang again this morning to then be told the bill would remain the same!
Instead of having me as a single person discount on the bill, it states that the discount is for child benefit (which I still receive)
I asked why the amount had changed, when I’m still receiving exactly the same from UC as last year, and have simply been told, it’s because of the amount that UC have told them I receive. He quoted the figure, and yes, it’s what I receive, but still couldn’t explain why I’m paying £20 more than I was two years ago.
Perhaps it’s just me, but it doesn’t sound correct.

Leigh14

Apparently, it doesn’t matter what discount is on the bill, me a single person or the child benefit, it is exactly the same, so makes no difference. Makes you wonder why they have decided to change that now though.

janer1967

Is it just that the charge has increased over the 2 years check previous bill to see how much the while charfe has changed before any reduction 

Leigh14

This is what the benefit calculator came up with. My actual bill is £39 a month, so going by the calculator from here, should it not be £13.28 a month?