Can anyone tell me the process of applying for council tax reduction

happyfella
happyfella Online Community Member Posts: 519 Empowering
in Money and bills
I have been on the Turn2Us website and it says that i would receive a reduction of £27 per week on my council tax.

I am trying to find out what the process is. I have seen on my council website different forms but not sure which one applies to me. But, I would also like to know if anyone has gone through this process and what you need to supply.

Do you need to send them details of your bank account, evidence of benefits etc.

Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,245 Championing
    If you contact your local councils benefits department, they will be able to help you apply.

    It's been a few years since I applied and cannot remember what they asked for.

    However CTR is done on a local not national level, so it's possible for there to be a variation in the application process. What one council asks for, another may not etc. 
  • happyfella
    happyfella Online Community Member Posts: 519 Empowering
    I have contacted them and will wait to hear from them. Would love to know the process people have been through
  • Jimm_Alumni
    Jimm_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,717 Championing
    The only reduction I've so far been entitled to is the student one. We had to call up the local council, give them our address details and the institution I was studying at (along with the course) and a code associated with that course. So it was all quite automatic for that. 

    It depends what the reduction is for, there are multiple possible reasons!

    Citizen's advice has a list of possible reasons here:  Check if you can pay less council tax - Citizens Advice
  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,245 Championing
    If you didn't know there are two seperate avenues of help for CT.

    One is discounts such as student, single person etc and those are dealt with by the CT department. 

    The other is CTR based on income, and that is dealt with by the benefits department of local authority. 

    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/council-tax/check-if-you-can-pay-less-council-tax/

  • Wibbles
    Wibbles Online Community Member Posts: 2,556 Championing
    I have just obtained a CT reduction based on the house NOT income
    I have had an accessible bathroom installed - this lowers CT by one band
    I just emailed CT people and was told to send in a form - success after 2 weeks waiting
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    edited March 2024
    Wibbles said:
    I have just obtained a CT reduction based on the house NOT income
    I have had an accessible bathroom installed - this lowers CT by one band
    I just emailed CT people and was told to send in a form - success after 2 weeks waiting
    This isn't council tax reduction, it's council tax discount, which is completely different. The discount isn't means tested like reduction is. More information here. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/council-tax/council-tax/council-tax/check-if-you-can-pay-less-council-tax/
  • happyfella
    happyfella Online Community Member Posts: 519 Empowering
    I think I will need to make an appointment with CAB. After phoning my local council six times and being told someone would call me back and no one did and after emailing them 12 times, I got an email this morning they sent me and this is from the day I originally posted this on here that the way they work out reduction is by reducing the housing band. But I am already on the lowest which is hard to believe when the council tax is around £1600 a year. I think CAB will be able to better advise me
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    If you’re already in the lowest band they will reduce your CT by 17% for a disabled band reduction. See link https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/discounts-for-disabled-people#:~:text=Disabled%20Band%20Reduction%20Scheme&text=If%20your%20home%20is%20already,property%20for%20using%20a%20wheelchair
  • Wibbles
    Wibbles Online Community Member Posts: 2,556 Championing
    poppy123456 said:
    Wibbles said:
    I have just obtained a CT reduction based on the house NOT income
    I have had an accessible bathroom installed - this lowers CT by one band
    I just emailed CT people and was told to send in a form - success after 2 weeks waiting
    This isn't council tax reduction, it's council tax discount, which is completely different. The discount isn't means tested like reduction is. More information here. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/council-tax/council-tax/council-tax/check-if-you-can-pay-less-council-tax/

    Disabled Band Reduction Scheme

    Is what I receive  - it reduces my band by 1 and saves me around £300 pa
    To get any "DISCOUNT", You must be classed as "severely mentally impaired"
    "Severely physically impaired" is not good enough !
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Severely Mentally Impaired (SMI) is completely different to disabled band reduction. Being severely physically impaired is not going to entitle you to SMI. 
  • Sparkygirl68
    Sparkygirl68 Online Community Member Posts: 16 Connected
    Speak to the council tax department if your on benefits and claiming for yourself it should be no charge. They can do it over the phone asking for you national number. Universal credit, esa and pip are covered
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Sparkygirl68 said:
    Speak to the council tax department if your on benefits and claiming for yourself it should be no charge. 
    That's a little misleading. The majority of working age people have to pay some council Tax, even if they do claim CTR. As all local Authorities have their own rules for CTR then we can't say whether there would be a 100% reduction for anyone claiming it anyway. 

    I claim CTR but still have to pay £6/month. 
  • Sparkygirl68
    Sparkygirl68 Online Community Member Posts: 16 Connected
    Sorry poppy I meant being on sickness benefits. Apologies for misleading 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Sparkygirl68 said:
    Sorry poppy I meant being on sickness benefits. Apologies for misleading 
    Even that doesn’t automatically entitle someone to CTR. 
  • happyfella
    happyfella Online Community Member Posts: 519 Empowering
    poppy123456 said:
    Sparkygirl68 said:
    Sorry poppy I meant being on sickness benefits. Apologies for misleading 
    Even that doesn’t automatically entitle someone to CTR. 

    I am going to go to an advice place for them to deal with the council. I cannot believe how unhelpful they are. It seems when the council do talk to me they are all confused over what help i can get if any. And twice now they have said they will send forms out and they never arrive.

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