Council Tax Support

Council Tax Support is a reduction in the amount of Council Tax you have to pay if you are on a low income. This includes people who work but also have a low income.

Check if you are eligible

Before you apply, check if you are eligible by using the Entitled To benefits calculator.

The way Council Tax Support is worked out depends on:

  • Your age
  • Your family circumstances
  • The money you have coming in
  • Any benefits you get
  • Any savings you have
  • The total of your Council Tax bill.

Working-age and pension-age rules

There are two sets of rules for Council Tax Support, depending on whether you or your partner are classed as working age or pension age.

The rules for working age people are set by the Council.

The rules for people who have reached State Pension age are decided by the Government. Even if you have reached State Pension age, the working age rules will apply if you or your partner get:

  • Universal Credit
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Income Support

You can use the Government calculator to see if you have reached State Pension age.

If you are of working age, the help that you can get from the scheme depends on whether you are in one of the groups which are protected as being vulnerable.

How do I know if I am in a protected group?

You are in a protected group if:

  • You (or your partner) have a child under the age of five who lives with you.
  • You (or your partner) receive a war disablement pension, war widow’s pension or war widower’s pension.
  • You (or your partner) are disabled*
  • You (or your partner) have a disabled child who lives with you.

If you are in one of the protected groups, the maximum help you can get will be to reduce your Council Tax bill to zero.

If you are not in one of the protected groups, the maximum help you can get is to reduce your Council Tax to one quarter of the amount it would be without support.

*To be classed as disabled, you must meet one of the following:

  • Receive a disability benefit (DLA, PIP, Incapacity Benefit or the disabled element of WTC)
  • Receive ESA, including either the support or work-related component
  • Receive the Limited Capability for Work element of Universal Credit
  • Registered blind

Apply now

You can apply for Council Tax Support in the same way as Housing Benefit. Use the link below to start the process.

Apply for Council Tax Support

How we work out Council Tax Support

Everyone has a maximum amount of weekly income they can receive before their income starts to affect their Council Tax Support. This figure is called your living allowance, and is compared against your income and capital to work out how much Council Tax Support you receive.

Your living allowance varies depending on your age, the size of your family, and any special needs you have (for example, whether you are disabled).

The living allowance has three main parts, these are:

  1. An amount for you and your partner - your personal allowance.
  2. An amount for any dependent children - your children's personal allowance.
  3. A premium - an element which you may qualify for to cover any special needs which you have.

Once your income goes over your living allowance then for every extra pound you have, you lose 20p from your council tax reduction.

Non-dependant deductions

A deduction of £5 per week will be applied for each non-dependant living in the household. A non-dependant is a person who normally lives with the council tax payer, such as an adult son or daughter, friend or relative. Joint tenants, sub-tenants or lodgers are not non-dependants.

No non-dependant deductions are applied where:

  • You (or your partner) receive Attendance Allowance or DLA care element
  • You (or your partner) are registered blind
  • Non-dependant is under 18 years of age
  • Non-dependant is aged 18-24 and receiving IS/JSA(IR) or ESA assessment phase
  • Non-dependant receives Pension Credit

Appeal against a decision

If you are unhappy with the Council Tax Support decision and wish to dispute it, you must write to us stating:

  • Your name
  • Current address
  • The property address the dispute relates to
  • The decision you are unhappy with and why you are unhappy with it.

Appeals can only be made by the person whose name appears on the bill.

Please note: You must continue to pay your bill whilst you are waiting for a decision on your appeal.

We will consider your dispute within two months of receipt and write to you with our response.

You can appeal to the independent valuation tribunal if:

  • we have not changed our decision, and you still disagree with it.
  • we have changed our decision, but you disagree with the new decision.
  • we have not responded to your letter within two months of receiving it.

There is a time limit to appeal to the valuation tribunal. You must do this within two months of the date we write to tell you about our decision, or within four months of the date that you wrote to us if you have not received a reply from us within two months.

Further information on how to make an appeal, please visit the valuation tribunal website.

Report a change of circumstances

If your circumstances change, you must report this.

Report a change now

More information

The full rules of our Council Tax Support scheme are shown in the documents below.

Contact us

Email: council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk
Phone: 01442 228000
Address:
Dacorum Borough Council 
Council Tax Section 
The Forum 
Marlowes
Hemel Hempstead 
HP1 1DN

Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 17 July 2024 at 02:09 PM