Council Tax Reduction is worked out based on your income. If you are eligible for it, it is paid directly to your Council Tax account. You may be entitled to Council Tax Reduction if your household is on a low income or in receipt of benefits.
You cannot claim Council Tax Reduction if:
- you do not live in the property where Council Tax is being charged
- you or your partner have more than £16,000 in savings or capital unless you are receiving guaranteed pension credit. If you are of working age the capital limit is £3,000 unless you are classed as protected.
How do I claim?
To claim Council Tax Reduction you can simply fill in our online claim form. Any information that you need to provide in support of your claim will be shown near the end of the form. Our evidence page shows the kind of documents that we can accept as evidence.
If you think you may be entitled to apply for Council Tax Reduction and you are of pensionable age you can check to see if you qualify by using the Benefits calculator before making a claim. If you are of working age. Sandwell operates an Income- Banded Council Tax Reduction scheme, this details what you may be entitled to.
Apply for Council Tax Reduction
Second Adult Rebate can only be claimed by people who have reached Pension Credit age and is another way you may be able to get help with paying your Council Tax. If you have someone over 18 who is sharing your home you may be able to claim. It is not based on the money you have but on the money people who live with you have, for example, if they are on a low income.
In order to be classed as a "second adult", the other person must not be:
- liable to pay Council Tax at the property
- a joint owner or tenant with you
- your married or unmarried partner
- living with more than one person who is liable for Council Tax.
When should I claim?
It is important that you claim as soon as you can as the start date of your claim will be the Monday following the week in which you make the claim. In certain circumstances, it may be possible to award benefit from an earlier date, more information is available on our backdating your reduction page.
Please do not delay sending in your claim if you do not have all the information that we need, as this will affect the start date of any benefit you may get. However, if you are able to provide all of the information with your claim then we will be able to sort out your claim much more quickly and we will not have to contact you for more information.
Need help?
If you require any further information on how to claim please contact us.
Please be aware that we can only discuss a benefit claim with the person claiming the benefit. If you want someone else to be able to contact us on your behalf please fill in our Third Party Authorisation form.
Problems with paying?
Find out how we can help if you are having problems paying your rent or Council Tax. If you experiencing financial hardship there are organisations that may be able to help you.
What happens next?
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction new claims are normally processed within 20 working days upon the receipt of all the information, this may vary depending upon the type of accommodation you live in.