Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit (CTB) is means tested and intended to help those on low income to afford their Council Tax.

If you are entitled to the following means tested benefits, you are normally entitled to have part or all of your Council Tax paid by Council Tax Benefit.

• Income support or;
• Income based ESA (Employment Support Allowance) or;
• Income based JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) or;
• Pension credit

If you're not on a means tested benefit, you may still qualify for Council Tax Benefit if your income is low enough and your capital is below a certain level, £16,000 for most people.

For those in receipt of Pension Credit, there is no capital limit. Depending on their income, non dependents living in your household can impact the amount of council tax benefit you may be entitled to. This is an example of a reason why that if you talk to us about your debts, it's important you tell us about the income of others who contribute to the household budget.

Claims for council tax benefit can be back dated for up to 6 months, if you can should good reason for delaying the claim. If you do not qualify for council tax benefit, you may be entitled to reduced payments, for example if you're living alone.

See Repaying Council Tax Arrears for more info.