I got a £10,000 council tax refund thanks to little-known Martin Lewis tip – how you can too
A MARTIN Lewis fan has revealed how he helped their daughter get a council tax refund worth thousands after they followed his tip.
It comes as thousands of people in England, Scotland and Wales could be entitled to money off their council tax bills.
The Martin Lewis fan emailed the MoneySavingExpert (MSE) team and said: "My daughter got a £10,000 council tax refund for her multiple sclerosis, and future bills wiped. Thank you."
Anyone suffering from a "severe mental impairment" (SMI) is able to claim a council tax reduction, according to Martin Lewis.
Martin Lewis said: "100,000s with strokes, Alzheimer's, dementia & more may be missing out on big council tax discounts. Please spread word.
"In 2016, we started campaigning about the severe mental impairment (SMI) council tax discount after I was shocked to find out how underclaimed it was.
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"Our mystery exercise found many frontline council staff didn't know about it, or got the rules wrong - a tragedy, as this is a crucial discount for many desperately in need of help.
"Thankfully we now receive a flow of successes, and things have somewhat improved, though many still caveat that they only heard of SMI discounts through us. So the battle continues..."
The SMI discount could range from 25% all the way up to 100% - with some households entirely exempt from paying any council tax.
We've explained everything you need to know about the SMI council tax discount below.
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What is the severe mentally impaired discount?
This allows households to apply for a discount on their council tax bill if you or someone they live with is severely mentally impaired.
To be eligible for the discount you'll need to:
- Get a certificate to say you’re severely mentally impaired from a medical professional, such as your GP.
- Prove your eligibility for certain benefits which you can check with your local council.
Receiving any of the following benefits as well as confirmation of being severely mentally impaired will make you eligible for a council tax discount:
- Universal Credit
- Incapacity benefit
- Attendance allowance
- Severe disablement allowance
- Disability living allowance (higher or middle-rate care component)
- Disability working allowance
- Increase in disablement pension (due to constant attendance being needed)
- Unemployability supplement or allowance
- Constant attendance allowance
- Income support (which includes a disability premium)
- Personal independence payment (standard or enhanced daily living component)
- Armed forces independence payment
How much is the discount worth?
If you qualify as severely mentally impaired you'll get a 100% discount if one of the following applies:
- You live on your own
- Any other adults in your household either qualify as severely mentally impaired or are full-time students
If nobody else in your home is classed as severely mentally impaired and is disregarded from paying council tax like live-in carers - your council tax will be reduced by 50%.
And if you live with someone who is severely mentally impaired you’ll get a 25% discount as long as either:
- There are no other adults in your household
- Everyone else in your home is disregarded
Your income and savings won’t affect whether you can get this discount.
How do you apply for a council tax discount?
The process you have to follow to launch a successful claim varies depending on where you live.
If you live in England or Scotland, you should contact your local authority to ask for the form.
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If you live in Wales, there is a national scheme. You can download the form from the Welsh government website.
For full details on claiming council tax reduction visit the government's website.