Council Tax Support for pension age people

We compare your finances (income and capital) to how much the government says that you and your family need to live on (this is called the applicable amount) each week.

We use the following information to decide how much Council Tax Support you are entitled to:

The money you and your partner have coming in including:

• earnings
• benefits
• pensions

Your savings (and your partner's savings) including:

• money you have in your bank accounts or Building Society accounts
• assets (such as property or land)
• stocks, shares and premium bonds

Your circumstances, such as:

• your age
• the number of people in your household and their ages
• if you or any of your family are disabled

Non-dependants

A non-dependant is someone aged 18 or over who lives with you but is not a tenant or a lodger. For example, a grown up son or daughter who lives at home.

In most cases we will make a deduction from your Council Tax Support because we assume that your non-dependant will help towards housing costs, whether they do or not. The amount we take will be decided based on their gross income.

How much you will get

You may get help with all or part of your Council Tax. There’s no set amount of Council Tax Support and what you get will depend on your age and circumstances.

How much you get depends on:

• your age
• your ‘eligible’ weekly Council Tax
• the people in your household and their ages
• your household income including benefits, pensions and savings
• your circumstances, for example the age of people in the house or if someone has a disability

When we calculate your Council Tax Support, we will work out your entitlement for the full financial year (up to 31 March). This will be shown as a credit on your Council Tax bill.

If your circumstances change during that financial year, the amount of Council Tax Support credited to your bill may need to change. This will also change the amount you pay towards your Council Tax.

When your Council Tax Support will start

If you qualify for Council Tax Support, we will normally pay your benefit from the Monday following the day your completed claim form is received.

Backdating

We may be able to backdate your benefit up to 3 months before the date your claim is received, as long as you were entitled to benefit for that period.

For us to work out how much benefit you will be entitled to, you need to give us proof of your income, savings and rent for the period you want to claim.

Second Adult Rebate is a type of Council Tax Support. You can't get both Council Tax Support and Second Adult Rebate at the same time. If you qualify for both, you will receive the one that pays the most.

People who live alone in a property get 25% single person discount off their Council Tax bill. If another adult lives with you, and they have a low income, you might get Second Adult Rebate.

A second adult must:

• live with you
• not be named as someone who has to jointly pay the Council Tax with you
• not get any other Council Tax discount
• not pay rent to you

You can't claim Second Adult Rebate if you are married or have a partner, unless they are not counted for Council Tax purposes.

How we calculate Second Adult Rebate

To decide if you can get Second Adult Rebate we only look at the gross income (before deductions for tax and National Insurance) of the second adult. Your income and savings are not included when we work this out.

How much you will get

This will depend on the income of the second adult. The most that you can get is 25% off the full Council Tax bill.

You can apply for Council Tax Support or Second Adult Rebate online. You cannot receive both at the same time. If you qualify for both, you will receive the one that pays the most.

We prefer if you apply online. This speeds things up, saves public money and frees up time so we can support those who are unable to apply online.

Before you start

You'll be asked for your National Insurance number, details of income and bank accounts.

Apply now

If you need help applying, contact us and we can support you through the process.

Sending us your documents

Send your form to us as soon as possible, even if you don't have all the requested documents. This means we can begin processing your application as quickly as possible.

We need original copies of proof of your identity and National Insurance number. You can bring these to one of our our offices.