If you are on a low income you may be able to get Council Tax Support to help pay your household Council Tax bill.
The household is the person or people responsible for paying the Council Tax bill. If you are responsible for the Council Tax account you can make a claim for Council Tax Support. This may be any owner, occupier or tenant aged 18 or over.
How much support am I entitled to?
For working age households we use a banding scheme to decide how much Council Tax Support a household is entitled to. The bands are matched to income ranges.
Working age households, where the claimant or partner receive Carer Allowance or the carer element of Universal Credit, will automatically receive 90% support, regardless of income.
For pension age households, the banding scheme does not apply. For pensioners, entitlement to Council Tax Support will be determined by household income, property band and savings. If savings are £6000 or over, a reduction will be applied to the Council Tax Support the household will receive. Anyone with savings of £16,000.00 or more will not be entitled.
| Band | Support | Single | Couple | Single, 1 child | Couple, 1 child | Single, 2+ children | Couple, 2+ children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
75% |
£0-£346.40 | £0-£433.00 | £0-£389.70 | £0-£476.30 | £0-£476.30 | £0-£562.90 |
| 2 | 60% | £346.41-£519.60 | £433.01-£606.20 | £399.71-£562.90 | £476.31-£649.50 | £476.31-£649.50 | £562.91-£736.10 |
| 3 | 45% | £519.61-£692.80 | £606.21-£779.40 | £562.91-£736.10 | £649.51-£822.70 | £649.51-£822.70 | £736.11-£909.30 |
| 4 | 30% | £692.81-£806.00 | £779.41-£952.60 | £736.11-£909.30 | £822.71-£995.90 | £822.71-£995.90 | £909.31-£1082.50 |
| 5 | 15% | £866.01-£1039.20 | £952.61-£1125.80 | £909.31-£1082.50 | £995.91-£1,169.10 | £995.91-£1169.10 | £1082.51-£1255.70 |
As shown in the table, households with 1 child receive a £10 increase in their earnings thresholds, and households with 2 or more children receive a £30 increase.
We do not consider unearned income (such as benefits, maintenance or payments from a trust) when deciding your entitlement.
You can download the Council Tax Reduction Scheme policy.
Council Tax Support Hardship Fund
You can apply for this fund if you are in a working age household and have to pay Council Tax for the first time because of changes in the support scheme. This does not apply to pension age households.
We have created a Council Tax Support Hardship fund to assist applicants who are facing exceptional hardship. The fund has been created as a transitional measure for a 2 year period from April 2025, to reduce the impact of changes in the level of support for working age households (18 to 65).
