Council Tax Support

A localised scheme in order to help people on a low income with their Council Tax.

The amount of Council Tax Support awarded will depend upon the level of income and capital, the number, age and circumstances of people in the claimant’s household.

Any award is used to reduce the Council Tax that is paid.

Further information about this localised scheme is available upon request.

You may get Council Tax Support if you are liable to pay Council Tax on a property you are occupying as your home and your household income and capital (savings and investments) are below a certain level.

You could qualify if you are out of work, or in work and earning a wage.

If you receive Universal Credit this will normally include any housing costs you are entitled to, but it will not include any financial help for Council Tax.

Help can also be provided based on the gross weekly income of all other adults sharing your home, as long as they are not your partner, not responsible for council tax or not paying you rent.

Use the Benefits Calculator to see if you could qualify for Council Tax Support.

You can’t usually get Council Tax Support if:

  • you have savings of more than £16,000, unless you are aged 60 or over and getting the ‘guarantee credit’ of Pension Credit

To claim Council Tax Support you need to request an application form.

Call 01306 879179 or email benefits@molevalley.gov.uk.

Make sure you complete and return the form immediately as benefit is normally awarded from the Monday following the date the application form is received.

You will also need to provide evidence in support of your claim.

Some examples of the proofs required include:

  • ID
  • Pay slips
  • Occupational pension
  • Other benefits
  • Tax credits
  • All your capital (bank statements, bond certificates, etc).

Do not send personal or sensitive documents to us via the post.

These documents include:

  • Passport
  • Bank statements
  • Birth certificates
  • NI card
  • Drivers Licence
  • Medical/Health related information

Instead we are requesting that you scan, screen grab or photograph on your mobile phone the evidence to be submitted and email it to benefits@molevalley.gov.uk.

Passports

Copy only the page containing photo and personal details (ensure the full page is captured in the image).

ID, residency card, visa or driving licence

Copy both pages. If you are providing for more than one ID documents please ensure each document is provided as a separate attachment.

Our Customer Service reception in Dorking is also open for appointments between 9 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.

While we are still accepting non personal / sensitive documents and copies of original documents (that you do not want returned) by post, you may also wish to send these by email to us.

We do not need to verify a document that has already been verified by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit or any DWP/Pension Credit benefit we can accept that your identity has been verified and there is no need for us to request further information regarding your identity.

If you haven’t got all the evidence asked for in support of your claim, send whatever you have with the form straightaway. You can send the rest in within one calendar month. We will write to you for any further information it needs.

If you make a claim for Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based), Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) or Guaranteed Pension Credit then we will write to you for any further information it needs.

The amount of Council Tax Support that you will be entitled to depends upon how much your weekly income is (including Universal Credit) and what your circumstances are, for example, your age, the size of your family and whether anyone in the house is elderly or disabled.

Once we have looked carefully at your income and your circumstances, it then does a calculation.

Generally speaking, the higher your income is, the less your weekly Council Tax Support will be.

If you are in receipt of Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (income based), Employment Support Allowance (income related) or Guaranteed Pension Credit and you have no grown up people living with you other than your partner, then you may qualify for full Council Tax Support.

Your claim for Council Tax Support will be continuous for as long as you are entitled.

However, we will contact you from time to time either by arranging a visit or by post to check that it is using the correct information to calculate your benefit.

You may be able to claim Council Tax Support for a past period. This is called backdating.

Visit the Backdating Claims page for more information.

If you pay Council Tax, we normally send you a bill showing your Council Tax Support entitlement.

You then only pay the reduced amount.

This means you will not actually get any money, but your Council Tax will be less.

If you are unhappy with the decision we have made with your Council Tax Support, you may ask us to explain our decision.

Visit the How to Appeal page for more information.

During the time you are receiving Council Tax Support you may have certain changes in your circumstances, such as a change of job, the receipt of another state benefit, or someone moving in, or out of your home.

You must notify the council of all changes in your circumstances, in writing, as soon as they happen.

Visit the Change in Circumstance page for more information.
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