How much will I receive?
The amount of Council Tax Benefit you receive will depend on four basic things:
- The amount of money (income) you and your partner have coming in.
- The amount of any savings you and your partner have.
- Your personal circumstances, for example your marital status, age, how many children you have, whether you are disabled, who else lives in the household etc.
- The amount of Council Tax that you pay.
We can pay up to a maximum of 100% of your Council Tax bill.
If you receive Income Support, Job Seekers (Income Based), Income Related Employment Support Allowance or Pension Credit Guarantee, you will get the maximum amount of Council Tax Benefit.
If you are not receiving these benefits, we will look at the your income, capital and household situation and compare these to figures called "premiums" and "allowances". These are figures set by Parliament each year and they tell us how much income you need to live on. The more your income rises above these figures, the less benefit you will be entitled to.
Your income
Most of the money you have coming in, will be taken into account as your income. This includes such things as state benefits, Tax Credits, occupational pensions, maintenance and earnings. When we are assessing earnings, we will take account of your gross pay, less tax, National Insurance contributions and half of any pension contributions you make.
We will not include certain types of income that you may be receiving such as Child Benefit, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, maintenance for a child. However, you should still tell us that you are receiving these because they may result in you receiving a higher rate of benefit.
Your savings / capital / investments
We need to know about all the savings, capital and investments you have. This includes savings accounts, premium bonds, National Savings Certificates, stocks and shares, property you own.
If you are below pension age:
- we will ignore the first £6,000 of your capital.
- if you have capital over £6,000 but less than £16,000, we will take into account as income, £1.00 per week for every £250 (or part £250) that you have above £6,000.
- if you have savings of more than £16,000 you will not be entitled to get any Council Tax Benefit.
If you have reached pension age:
- we will ignore the first £10,000 of your capital.
- if you have capital over £10,000 but less than £16,000, we will take into account as income, £1.00 per week for every £500 (or part £500) that you have above £10,000.
- if you have savings of more than £16,000 you will not be entitled to get any Council Tax Benefit.
People who live with you
A flat rate deduction will be made from your Council Tax Benefit if you have another person living with you such as an adult son or daughter or an elderly relative. These people are termed "non-dependants". The deduction made will depend on the age and circumstances of the non-dependant. Deductions are not made:
- If you are blind or in receipt of the care component of Disability Living or Attendance Allowance.
- If the non-dependant is aged 16 or 17.
- If the non-dependant is on Youth Training, a student, a long-term hospital in-patient, in legal custody or aged under 25 and on Income Support.
You should include everyone who lives with you on your benefit claim form. You should always tell the Council if anybody leaves or joins the household or has a change in their financial circumstances.
Further details can be found in the
non-dependant deductions leaflet.
Online benefits calculator
For an instant online estimate of entitlement to Council Tax Benefit please use the
benefits calculator.
Please note when using the calculator, that there is currently a fault with the “auto-estimate” facility for Tax Credits. Please skip this step when you are using the calculator. The fault will be fixed shortly.
When will my benefit start from?
Entitlement to benefit generally starts from either:
- the Monday following the date that you tell us you are going to make a claim or
- the Monday following the date that your claim form is received by the Council.
However, different rules apply if you are claiming Income Support, Job Seekers (IB), Income Related Employment Support Allowance or Pension Credit Guarantee or if you are applying for benefit in respect of a new home. Further details can be found in the when will your benefit start? leaflet.
How will my council tax benefit be paid?
Your Council Tax Benefit will be credited to your council tax account and a revised council tax bill will be sent to you showing the payments, if any, you are due to pay.
Benefit is credited to your account from the start date of your claim to the end of the current financial year based upon your circumstances at the time of your application for benefit.
It is very important that you tell us immediately if you have a change in your circumstances as advance amounts of benefit will have already been allowed to you and any delay could increase the amount of overpaid benefit that you may have to repay.
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