Council Tax Benefit

Applies to: England, Wales and Scotland

Who does it help?

Council Tax Benefit is to help people on a low income who have to pay Council Tax. Your local council pays it. It does not matter whether you rent your home from the council or a private landlord, or whether your own your home.

Most full-time students cannot get Council Tax Benefit.

If you live with another adult who is not your partner and who does not pay rent, you might get another benefit called Second Adult Rebate instead of Council Tax Benefit. The council will work out which benefit gives you the most help if you give them enough information.

Is it means-tested?

Whether you get Council Tax Benefit or not depends on your income and savings. For example, you will not qualify if you have savings of more than £16,000.

If you live with a partner, only one of you can claim Council Tax Benefit and your income and savings will be added together. This applies whether you are married, in a civil partnership or just living together.

What help does the benefit provide?

Council Tax Benefit is not usually paid to you directly. It reduces the amount of Council Tax you have to pay so your Council Tax bill is smaller. In some cases, you will not have to pay any Council Tax at all. The amount of the reduction will be shown on your Council Tax bill.

If you have already paid your Council Tax bill, Council Tax Benefit can be paid directly to you, but you have to ask the council for this.

How much does it pay?

If you get benefits like Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, your Council Tax Benefit will cover 100% of your Council Tax. Or if you get the guarantee part of Pension Credit, you will get Council Tax Benefit to cover 100% of your Council Tax.

However, if there are other adults living in our home and they are not your partner, you might get less Council Tax Benefit.

If you are not getting Income Support, income-based JSA or the guarantee part of Pension Credit, you could still get some Council Tax Benefit but this will depend on your income and savings.

Is it a taxable benefit?

Council Tax Benefit is not a taxable benefit.

How to claim

If you are making a claim for benefits like income-related Employment and Support Allowance, you can get form HBCTB1 to claim Council Tax Benefit at the same time. Check if your local council needs you to fill in one of their own claim forms as well. If you are claiming Pension Credit by phone, you can claim Council Tax Benefit at the same time - this means you don't need to make a written claim.

If you are not claiming these benefits, ask for a Council Tax Benefit claim form from your local council. You may be able to make a claim by phone or email or online. This depends on your local council.

Rapid reclaims

To make a claim for Council Tax Benefit, you may be able to fill in a shortened form known as a 'rapid reclaim'. To fill in a rapid reclaim, you must have made a claim for Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance before, within the last 26 weeks. You must also be claiming this benefit again and your circumstances must not have changed since your last claim.

Backdated claims

If you are under 60, you may be able to claim some backdated Council Tax Benefit for up to six months. You have to show you have a good reason for not claiming earlier, for example that you were given the wrong advice. If you or your partner are 60 or over, and you are not getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, you may be able to claim some backdated Council Tax Benefit for up to three months. You do not have to show that you have a good reason for not claiming earlier.

You also have to show that you had the right to Council Tax Benefit throughout the period of backdating, that you were responsible for paying Council Tax and your income was low enough.

Documents you need

When you claim, you must give your national insurance number and evidence of who you are, for example, a driving licence or birth certificate. If you are not already claiming benefits, you must give proof of your income and savings, for example, bank statements or pay slips.

Further help

The Turn2us Benefit Checker can help you calculate your eligibility for Council Tax Benefit.

The Citizens Advice website (link opens in a new window) can give you more information about Council Tax Benefit.

Your local council can give you more information about claiming Council Tax Benefit. You can find the contact details of your local council (link opens in a new window) on the Directgov website.

Directgov, the government website, (link opens in a new window) has more information about Council Tax Benefit.

Find an adviser tool.

Frequently asked questions relating to Council Tax Benefit

Useful links

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