All the areas where council tax rebates WON’T be paid in April revealed
CASH payments worth £150 are being sent out to millions of households across the country to help with rising bills.
But many won't get their Council Tax rebate this month, local authorities have confirmed.
The government announced the help in February to help cover the extra cost of energy bills, which have shot up by hundreds of pounds.
Payments started from April 1 and local councils are running the scheme.
The £150 payments are being made to those eligible, which is around four in five households in bands A-D for Council Tax.
One-off payments are being made, rather than a discount on your usual council tax bill.
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The cash is being dished out at different times, according to where you live and how quickly your local authority can make payments.
Councils in many areas have now said that the £150 won't hit bank accounts this month.
Households in Liverpool, Thurrock and Gloucester are among those who will have to wait until May.
Residents Hastings, Sevenoaks and Wirral also face a longer wait for the vital cash until next month.
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And some people won't see payments until June, including those in South Derbyshire and Colchester.
Payments have already been made to lucky locals in places like Sunderland, Bracknell and East Hampshire.
We found at least 15 councils which have said that payments will be made after April:
- Hammersmith and Fulham - from early to mid May start with direct debit
- Lewisham - from May with direct debit
- Thurrock - from beginning of May
- Sevenoaks - between May 1 and 31 with direct debit
- Liverpool - from May 1
- Wirral - starting in May
- Gloucester - on May 2 if direct debit on April 15 and on 13 May if direct debit made on 22 or 28 April
- Hastings - by end of May
- South Lakeland - aim to start making them in early May
- Halton - from May
- North Tyneside - aiming to make the first payments in May 2022
- Northumberland - by early May with direct debit
- Derby - by middle of May with direct debit
- South Derbyshire - early June at the earliest
- Colchester - complete by end of June with direct debit
Families face a postcode lottery when getting the payment, with some councils struggling to get the required software to make payments.
A message on South Derbyshire's website said: "We are waiting for software updates from our suppliers before we can deliver the £150 energy rebate.
"We are not set to receive the software until late April, so the earliest any rebate payments will be made is early June 2022."
Meanwhile those who don't pay their council tax bill by direct debit - including those exempt from the bill but still eligible for the rebate - face a longer wait for the money.
With bank details on record from direct debits, the payments can be made more quickly.
Those without will have to wait to apply for the scheme, with some councils yet to set up this manual process.
And many who do pay by direct debit but not until the end of the month will have to wait until the April instalment is made.
Councils are waiting for the first bill payment to confirm that a household is eligible to avoid making the payments in error.
When will my £150 council tax rebate be paid?
Unfortunately when you get your £150 rebate depends heavily on where you live.
Each council will have different systems, dates can vary, and the scheme is new.
You can check your and social media pages for the latest updates on when you will get the cash.
If you have a direct debit set up to make council tax bill payments you're likely to get yours early than if you pay manually.
If you're eligible for the rebate but you don't pay a bill and need to apply you should keep an eye out for a letter.
This could also be the case if you pay your bill manually and the council don't have bank details on record for you.
Your council will be in touch telling you how to apply for the £150.
But beware of scams where criminals are asking for bank details via text, email or call claiming this is how you get the rebate.
Experts have warned about the red flags to look out for so you don't lose cash.
If you're not eligible for the one-off refund, you should check whether you qualify for any other help.
A separate £144million fund has also been launched which local councils can dish out to vulnerable and low income households.
You can find out which band you're in to see if you're eligible for the automatic scheme, or need to apply to the fund by using - you just need to enter your postcode.
There are also some exemptions to those in A-D bands, for example if you don't live in the home.
You could challenge your council tax band if you think it's wrong, so you don't miss out on the cash.
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But beware a revaluation of your band could put you in a lower band where you pay MORE council tax, so consider the risks.
If you are on a low income or receiving benefits, you could eligible for a reduction on your Council Tax bill through a separate scheme.
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