How hard-up families and single parents can claim for help with council tax bills
Depending on your personal circumstances you can either get the bill scrapped in full, or you may be able to get a discount
COUNCIL tax is a costly expense each year but if you're struggling to pay it or if you're a single parent, you can get financial support.
Depending on your personal circumstances you can either get the bill scrapped in full, or you may be able to get a discount from your council.
But first of all, if you’ve fallen behind on your council tax bills, it’s important that you contact the council as soon as possible to explain your situation.
Council tax arrears is a “priority debt”, meaning you need to pay it before you clear other debt such as credit cards.
In fact, if you ignore council tax arrears, it’s likely your council will take you to court to speed up the process of getting the instead of the usual 10.
Your council may also give you a one-off discount if you still can’t pay what you owe.
But if you really can't make ends meet, there’s also other help available. Below we've made a round-up of your options.
Apply for a council tax reduction
If you’re on a low income, you may be eligible for a – and it doesn’t matter if you rent or own your home.
Neither does it matter if you're unemployed or are working, but usually you'll need to be on certain benefits such as income support, employment and support allowance, jobseeker's allowance, universal credit or pension credit.
The scheme could reduce your bill by as much as 100 per cent, but it depends on your personal circumstances such as where you live and whether you have children living with you.
The amount you'll get depends on:
- Where you live
- Your circumstances (eg income, number of children, benefits, residency status)
- Your household income - this includes savings, pensions and your partner’s income
- If your children live with you
- If other adults live with you
If you are successful in your claim you may also be able to get your council tax bill backdated.
Each council runs its own scheme, so the details vary by area – contact your for more information.
The Council Tax Reduction scheme is not available for residents in Northern Ireland - if that's you, check out instead.
Other discounts and exemptions
You usually have to pay council tax if you're 18 or over and own or rent a home, but there is a number of exemptions and discounts available too.
A full council tax bill is based on at least two adults living in a home, so you'll get 25 per cent off if you count as an adult for council tax and you live on your own.
You'll also get the same discount if no-one else in your home counts as an adult - for example, if you're a single parent and have children under the age of 18.
You’ll also usually get a 50 per cent discount if no-one living in your home, including you, counts as an adult, but you won't have to pay at all if everyone in your household are full-time students.
Who doesn't count as an adult?
- Children under 18
- Full-time students, most apprentices and trainees aged under 25
- Student nurses
- Foreign language assistants registered with the British Council
- People with a severe mental impairment, such as learning difficulties or autism
- Live-in carers who look after someone who isn’t their partner, spouse, or child under 18
- Diplomats
if you’re unsure about whether you can get a discount or who’s responsible for paying.
You can also apply for a discount - but keep in mind that you'll need to provide evidence to support your application.
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