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Council tax support scheme changes
Find out about how the changes to council tax support that were made in 2020 might affect your benefits.
The council tax support scheme is income-banded.
You will be able to get a discount of between 30% and 90%, depending on your household income and family circumstances.
How we work out your award
We'll work out the maximum amount of support you can get based on your household's net income and any children you have (up to a maximum of two). Your net income includes any money from employment, self-employment, benefits and any other income, including any rent from people who live with you.
If you're working age and claim council tax support, you still need to pay at least 10% of your bill. This applies even if you get benefits or have a low income.
If you or your partner have more than £6,000 in savings you won't get any council tax support, unless either of you get income-based jobseekers allowance, income support or income-related support allowance.
If you or your partner get any of the following benefits, you'll automatically be in the highest band and will only pay 10% of your bill:
- income support
- income-based jobseeker's allowance
- income-based employment and support allowance
We don't include the following (known as 'income disregards') when we look at your income:
- carer's allowance - this will be added back onto your award as an income disregard of £69.70 per week
- disability living allowance
- personal independence payments
- armed forces independence payments
- war disablement benefits
We also allow £25 for all households as an incentive to work.
| Band | Discount on your bill | Weekly income for single people | Weekly income for a couple | Weekly income for a family with 1 child | Weekly income for a family with 2 or more children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90% | £0 to £109.10 | £0 to £149.10 | £0 to £199.10 | £0 to £249.10 |
| 2 | 75% | £109.11 to £153.65 | £149.11 to £193.65 | £199.11 to £243.65 | £249.11 to £293.65 |
| 3 | 60% | £153.66 to £198.20 | £193.66 to £238.20 | £243.66 to £288.20 | £293.66 to £338.20 |
| 4 | 45% | £198.21 to £242.75 | £238.21 to £282.75 | £288.21 to £332.75 | £338.21 to £382.75 |
| 5 | 30% | £242.76 to £287.30 | £282.76 to £327.30 | £332.76 to £377.30 | £382.76 to £427.30 |
Universal Credit
If you make a claim for Universal Credit with the DWP, you also need to make a claim for council tax support.
DWP will let us know that you have claimed Universal Credit, and we can then treat that as your claim date for council tax support, as long as you send us any other information we need within one calendar month of us writing to you.
Other adults living in your home
If someone else aged 18 or over is living with you, it will affect how much support you get as they are expected to make a contribution towards your household. A standard deduction of £10 per week will be taken from your entitlement for each adult that is living with you.
If your circumstances change
You need to tell us straight away if your circumstances change. If your household income goes up or down slightly, it may not affect the amount of support you get, but you still need to tell us about it.
If you have any questions about changes to council tax support you can contact our benefits team. You can also look at our council tax support scheme policy: