To those migrating to UC be warned about council tax support
Comments
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Goodness that is quite a jump. My council are known for not being very generous with reductions - so I'm dreading finding out my new amount to pay.
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Your case is a good example of what I've been explaining. They calculate it based on your earnings, as it's a means tested benefit, rather than having to do with the ESA migration to UC. The eligibility is the same whether you're on ESA or the UC, regardless of which corner you live in the country, as it's nationally set by law.
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I mean eligibility for CTR is national.
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@mike52 You were prior to migration getting both CB and IR ESA, although many people are unaware until the change. UC is replacing 6 income related benefits, IR ESA being one of them. Upon migration the IR is replaced by UC and the CB converts automatically into New Style ESA.
For CTR the financial year begins in April, so this tends to be when local authorities change criteria. Many have treated UC differently for a while, counting PIP is something I've seen a few areas do for the first time this year.
@Passerby CTR is available nationally but the eligibility criteria is decided on at a local level, as has been explained several times by several different people.
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@Kimi87 mum still hasn't been awarded LCWRA yet and I doubt council tax were told about that I have a feeling the DWP has only told them about housing element and Standard so when her payments are done properly with LCWRA added will her support go down again and her bill go up? And will she have to tell them or will UC inform them again?
We had our new bill today and it's gone from £93 a month to £123 so £30 more we have to find which will be only just manageable.
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CTR awards are decided on at a local level, so we cannot advise on individual cases from here.
Once your mum's LCWRA is confirmed UC should inform them, but it won't harm you to do that also.
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Thanks @Kimi87 mum just looked on her online account and saw a table that explains how they calculate % discounts for council tax support and upto £119 per week is 80% and she calculated her monthly amount when LCWRA is added but took off housing element as they don't include housing as income and she'd be in the up to £197 per week as hers will be £190 a week and thats 30% and only £3.99 a week of support so our bill will go up again by at least another £10
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My sister has just started a new part time job is mum supposed to tell council tax because we're unsure on that as she didn't tell them when she finished in April as we have only ever been told to tell housing benefit things but we've not had HB in years so we though mine and my sister's income didn't matter for council tax support?
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Gosh this is really shocking and to think the powers that be were always spouting that people will not be worse off on Universal Credit. I have also noticed, though I cant think where just now, that PIP seems to now be included as income in areas it never used to be.
I know when the maintenance insurance for my stair lift ran out, which my local council had always paid, for the first 2 years the council did not include my PIP in assessing my ability to pay for the insurance myself. However, that has now changed and PIP is now used to exclude me getting help for the insurance, a very haughty woman said you get PIP use that. Annoying that occupational health said that if I lived in social housing stair lift maintenance would be covered by the local council. Sorry gone right of the topic here but I think PIP is going be included as income more and more in the future.
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The problem is PIP is there for any additional costs or support you need for your disability. So people are correct in saying your pip money should be used for that, as thats what its intended for. I think they have started including it in your earnings becuase people tend to just use it as regular income and not use their PIP on support or other costs that it was intended for.
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Councils can look at income from son's and daughter's that live in the house when pertaining to a council tax discount. One council reduced the discount on the premise that son's and daughters contributed to the household costs with their income.
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It seems a lot of councils maximum discount is now 80% for working age, meaning you have to pay something regardless of your situation.
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While they phrased it confusingly, the OP is actually correct, though CT administering is somewhat local so it may depend council to council.
Its true that the CTR is means tested and determined on income, but the difference is that some benefits, like ESA, guaranteed CTR, whilst UC doesn't. So this is why some people are seeing their cases being reassessed following the UC migration.In our area, as I said before, we've been advised that this will mean some people who previously were 100% exempt will now be obligated to pay a % of CT. In our area what is happening is that people are being notified and then have to apply fresh for CTR with their new circumstances.
This information came direct from our council's CT team, so I think it is probably correct.
My advice would still be to check their own local Council's policies and see whether this is likely to affect them.0 -
But doesn't the law say the amount you get on UC or ESA is the amount you need to live on, and not to pay council tax from?
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Hi Rubin, I agree that PIP is provided to help meet the extra costs of being disabled, no argument with that at all. I was really just saying how PIP was not always included as income in several areas where it now is. My main peeve though is that, if I was living in social housing the costs would be met by the council. So two people with the same incomes, everything identical but one living in private housing one in social housing are treated differently.
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Yeah they should be treated as the same and is unfair, sorry if I got the wrong gist of things. I did notice this year my council did list all my benefits including pip when calculating bill. Luckily though I still got a 100% award.
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My council is Bristol. I had a care cost contributions assessment done 2 days before the council tax bill. On the assessment it states my council tax after deductions is £0. I think that they are trying to charge you for the dormant weeks on changeover
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Even doing the turn2us and entitled to websites tells you the amount you should be paying and they both come back with the same. The council's are obviously trying to recoup
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Hi everyone thought I'd update.
Now mums LCWRA has been added to her UC after migration from ESA our council tax support has reduced again as we knew it would but I'm disgusted by how much and how the council can even class a benefit as income but it it what it is.
When mum was on ESA our bill was £93.00 then when she moved to UC her support went down and she had to pay £122 a month now her LCWRA has been added its gone down again to £166 a month and all I can say is thank goodness my sister is working even if it's only part time because we can just about pay this with her help.
However our council tax support is now only £2 a week that just under £10 a month so mums said she's getting rid of it before the bill next April as she said we might as well pay that £10 extra ourselves.
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I stand corrected I have just looked at our latest bill again and the council tax support of £2 a week was from April 2025/may 2025 there not giving us any council tax support from June onwards but on the benefit calculators it states we are eligible for 30% support so clearly the councils are doing this to save money.
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