If you receive the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit you may even get your Council Tax paid in full.
If you are a pensioner, your council tax reduction will apply to the whole of your bill. A pensioner is someone who has reached the qualifying age for state pension credit. You can use the State Pension calculator on the Government's website to find out if you have reached the qualifying age.
If you get benefits or have other people living with you, this might affect how much your council tax is reduced by. Your local council will ask you details about your income and your circumstances, so they can work out if you're entitled to Council Tax Reduction (CTR).
Unfortunately, there is no reduction or exemption from council tax for someone who is over 76 or over 80.
Some 4.5 million households will not be eligible for the £150 council tax rebate, according to Age UK. This is despite the fact 21 percent of pensioners who don't qualify are living in poverty and struggling to pay for their energy bills.
The following residents will be entitled to a £120 Discretionary Energy Rebate award: Residents in council tax band E. Council Tax Reduction Scheme recipients in Band F-H. Non-council tax liable, fixed benefit only households responsible for paying fuel bills.
Council Tax valuations are based on the value of properties that aren't used for business purposes. The value is based on the price the property would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991 in England and 1 April 2003 in Wales.
People who are disregarded include:
full-time students, student nurses, apprentices and youth training trainees. people caring for someone with a disability, who is not a partner, or child under 18. patients living in hospitals, care homes, certain hostels or night shelters. people who have a severe mental impairment.
If you work - either as an employee or self-employed - and your earnings are over a certain level you pay National Insurance contributions. You pay NICs from age 16 until you reach State Pension age.
can be an adult or child. must be substantially and permanently disabled - this includes learning difficulties and mental health problems as well as physical disabilities.
There isn't a savings limit for Pension Credit. However, if you have over £10,000 in savings, this will affect how much you receive.
if you and your partner have savings or capital of more than £16,000, you cannot get a Council Tax Reduction; if you and your partner have £6,000 or less, it will not affect your claim.
Housing Benefit
If you (and your partner if you have one) are over State Pension age you may qualify for Housing Benefit if you: rent your accommodation (either form a private landlord, social landlord or local council), you are liable to pay rent and you are living in your property.
Pension Credit is a weekly benefit to boost your income. It's based on how much money you have coming in. There are two parts to Pension Credit, called Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit. You might get one or both parts. Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income to a minimum amount.
Check your State Pension forecast to find out how much you could get and when. The full new State Pension is £185.15 per week. The only reasons you can get more than the full State Pension are if: you have over a certain amount of Additional State Pension.
Pension Credit is separate from your State Pension. You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home.
You do not pay National Insurance after you reach State Pension age - unless you're self-employed and pay Class 4 contributions.
Your State Pension is based on your National Insurance contribution history and is separate from any of your private pensions. Any money in, or taken from, your pension pot may affect your entitlement to some benefits.
You'll usually have to pay Council Tax if you're 18 or over. A full Council Tax bill is based on at least 2 adults living in a home. Spouses and partners who live together are jointly responsible for paying the bill.
If you ignore Council Tax arrears, it's likely your council will take you to court quickly to get all the money at once. You'll have to pay court costs and possibly bailiff fees as well as your debt, which can add hundreds of pounds to your bill. Council Tax arrears is a 'priority debt'.
February and March are the two months of the year when you don't pay Council Tax.
Every property is allocated a valuation band from 'A' to 'H'. Each band pays a different amount of council tax (A the lowest, to H the highest).
Pay by monthly instalments
Council Tax is normally due in 10 monthly instalments on the 7th of each month from April to January. You may pay by 12 monthly payments, from April to March, on request.