Council Tax Support

Council Tax Support helps you pay some of your Council Tax if you are on a low income or claiming certain benefits.

Can I claim?

You can claim whether you own your home or rent, or whether you’re working or unemployed.

To qualify, you must be:

• on a low income
• the person responsible for paying the Council Tax

If you have claimed for Universal Credit, which includes housing costs, you do not need to claim Council Tax Support as we will receive a notification directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). However, if after 4 weeks you have not received an amended Council Tax bill which includes Council Tax Support you will need to apply for Council Tax Support below.

How much am I entitled to?

The amount you get will depend on your age, income and savings, who else lives with you and which benefits you receive.

The maximum amount of Council Tax Support you can receive is:

• 91.5% of the Council Tax bill if you are of working age
• up to 100% of the Council Tax bill if you are of pensionable age

You can use an independent benefits calculator on GOV.UK to check if you can apply for Council Tax Support.

We will let you know what your actual award is once we have processed your claim.

How to apply

You can apply online for Council Tax Support. 

Things we need to know when you apply:

• National Insurance number for you (and your partner if applicable)
• Full name and dates of birth of everyone in your household.
• Your household income, savings, investments and expenses – including things like childcare costs and private pension contributions.

You will be able to upload any evidence whilst making your application.

You can save your application at various stages and finish it later.  If you save your details part way through, you will be given a Citizen Access Benefits key code. Make a note of this as you'll need it to log back into your form.

Apply or login

Read our privacy notice which tells you how we use your data

How do I log back in to my form?

Use the 'Apply or login' button above and select 'Retrieve a claim I have started'. You will need to enter the Citizen Access Benefits key code you received when you saved your application.

What happens next?

We will let you know what your award is once we have processed your claim.

If you are not happy with our decision about your claim or you think the information is wrong, you can submit an appeal.

If your circumstances change

If your circumstances change please tell us as it could affect what you are entitled to.

• Council Tax Support Scheme Policy 2023/24

  Download this document: Council Tax Support Scheme Policy 2023/24 (PDF: 460 KB)

  This policy sets out the main objectives of the Council Tax Support Scheme including how it is designed to support low income households, protect pension age customers and support work incentives. This scheme is not applicable to people who are claiming or entitled to claim Universal Credit.

  First published: 23/09/2021

  Last updated: 16/10/2023

• Council Tax Support Scheme (Universal Credit) Policy 2023/24

  Download this document: Council Tax Support Scheme (Universal Credit) Policy 2023/24 (PDF: 331 KB)

  This policy sets out the main objectives of the Council Tax Support Scheme including how it is designed to support low income households on Universal Credit. This scheme is only applicable to people who are claiming or are entitled to Universal Credit.

  First published: 16/10/2023