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• Council Tax Benefit

Council tax benefits

Council Tax Benefit is a government scheme to help you pay your Council Tax bill. There are two types of Council Tax Benefit: Main Council Tax Benefit and Second Adult Rebate.

Can I claim Council Tax Benefit?

You can claim Council Tax Benefit if you are on:

• Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance; or
• a low income (this includes people who are self employed)

If you are married, or live with your partner as if you are married to them, you only need to fill in one claim form.

Who can't claim Council Tax Benefit?

You can't claim Council Tax Benefit if:

• Either you, or your partner, or both of you together, have more than £16,000 in savings.
• You are a student.

What if I need help filling in the form?

Please contact us (details below). If you have difficulty making a claim because you are elderly or disabled, we may be able to visit you at home.

How much Council tax benefit can I get?

You might be able to get Council Tax Benefit for the full amount of Council Tax that you have to pay, but it depends upon your income and whether you have other people in your house.

Coventry City Council provide an online benefits calculator which can help you to estimate how much benefit you may be entitled to claim.

How is my Council Tax benefit worked out?

If you get Income Support or income-based Job Seeker's Allowance, you will get the full amount of Council Tax as benefit after we have taken off deductions for other people who live with you - these are called co-dependants.

In all other cases

We work out your Council Tax Benefit by comparing the money you get each week with your 'applicable amount'. Your applicable amount is what the Government says you and your family need to live on each week.

Second Adult Rebate

Second Adult Rebate is another way to help you pay less Council Tax. It is not based on the money you have, but on the money other people live with you have. These people are called non-dependants.

A non-dependant could be someone like a relative or a friend. You may be able to get Second Adult Rebate if there are other people living in your home who are in receipt of Income Support or income-based Job Seeker's Allowance. You can't usually claim Second Adult Rebate if you are married or have a partner.

Please note

You cannot get Council Tax Benefit and Second Adult Rebate at the same time. If you qualify for both, we will give you the one that reduces your Council Tax the most. On Second Adult Rebate, the maximum amount that can be awarded is 25% of the Council Tax bill.

How do I claim Council Tax Benefits?

If you claim Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance you can download form HCTB1 from the Department of Work and Pensions website. Fill in the form and send it back to the DWP straight away. They will send the form to us with proof of your Income Support/Job Seeker Allowance (income-based) claim.

If you are on a low income you can claim by filling in one of our claim forms and giving us the proof we need to assess your claim. You can get the claim form by contacting us using the details below.

What about other money I have?

Small amounts of savings and investments may not affect your claim, but you must tell us about all your savings and investments, including current bank accounts.

You must tell us about all the bank and building society accounts that you, your partner or your children have.

Don't forget to tell us about any stocks and shares that you have too.

Please remember to tell us about all the different kinds of income you get. If you are not sure, just check with us.

What money do you count when you work out my benefit?

We count any money you have coming in. This includes things like:

• Department for Work and Pensions benefits.
• Maintenance.
• Works pensions.
• Wages.

We count the money you earn from work after money has been taken out for:

• Tax and National Insurance contributions; and
• Half of any money you pay into a pension fund

If you work we will need to see:

• Your last five payslips if you are paid every week; or
• Your last two payslips if you are paid every month

If you are self-employed, we usually want to see your recent accounts. If you can't provide these, please contact us for more advice.

How long will it take you to work out my benefit?

We aim to deal with all claims as soon as possible, but it depends on how quickly you give us all the information we need.

When we have all the information, we will work out your benefit and write to you to tell you how much you will get.

When will my benefit start?

If you qualify, your benefit will usually start from the Monday after we get your claim form. If you think your benefit should start earlier, it is called 'backdating'. Please see the Council Tax Benefit - backdating for more information.

How will you pay me?

We will pay your Council tax benefit straight into your Council tax account. you will get a bill showing the amount you may have to pay after we have awarded benefit.

What can I do if I don't agree with your decision?

If you don't agree with our decision, you can ask us to look at it again. See Council tax benefit - appeals.

What should I do if anything changes when I am getting benefit?

You should tell us immediately if any of your circumstances change, it might affect how much benefit you receive and if you don't tell us, you may lose your benefit or we may pay you too much benefit, which you will have to pay back later. See Council tax benefit - current claim.

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