COUNCIL TAX
We know there are millions of people
who could get money off their council tax. We just don’t know who they are. So
you could be one of them. Here are three simple tips to back your own money.
None of them depends on your own income or savings.
1. Do you live alone? Millions of over 60s do. And if you do then you can
get your council tax cut by a quarter. There’s no means-test. It is a straight
25% discount on your council tax. Apply to the council which you pay your tax
to. And it will be backdated for as long as you have been alone. It does not end
quite there. Because of course there is an official definition of ‘alone’. And
it can still apply if there are others in the house with you. People under 18,
full time students, apprentices, and some carers do not count. So you could
still be counted as living alone! In Northern Ireland anyone aged 70 or more
living alone can get 20% off their rates.
2. Are you disabled? Or is someone who lives with you disabled? If so does
our home have an extra room or an adaptation which is essential for the disabled
person? If so, then your council tax could be reduced by about a sixth. If your
home is in bands B-H then it will be moved down a band. If it is already in the
lowest band ‘A’ then your council tax will be reduced by one sixth. Apply to
your council. And ask to get it backdated.
3. Does another adult live with you? Not a spouse or partner but someone
who is over 18 and not your tenant. If they have an income (before tax) which is
less than £228 a week then your council tax will be cut by 7.5%. If their income
is below £175 a week it will be cut by 15%. And if they get income based
jobseeker’s allowance, pension credit or income support it will be cut by 25%.
If the other adult is a student and you get pension credit then the council tax
is reduced to zero. Ask your local council about alternative maximum council tax
benefit.
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