Council Tax Reduction is a discount for council taxpayers with a low income.
You will not be entitled to Council Tax Reduction if:
To apply for a reduction in your council tax when claiming Universal Credit or you are on a low income, please complete our online form.
Council Tax reduction cannot be backdated so you should claim as soon as possible. Successful claims are paid from the Monday following the date we receive the claim form.
If you have claimed Universal Credit, please use the Council Tax Reduction for universal credit claimants online form.
For anyone else wishing to claim Council Tax Reduction please use the Council Tax Reduction online form.
If you don’t provide all the information we have asked for on our form, we may not be able to pay you any Council Tax Reduction. We need the same proof for your partner and for any other adults living in your home (such as non-dependants). If you don’t have the proof we need now, send the form back to us immediately and send the proof later. We can start to process your application, but we may not be able to give you any Council Tax Support until we have all the proof.
If you don’t provide the proof within one month of any request and don’t let us know you are having difficulties in providing the information, we may have to decide without this information. This could mean you get less help.
Such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport, National Insurance number card, medical card, driving licence, UK residence permit, EU National identity card or recent gas or electricity bill.
Please note that you don’t need to provide proof of your income, earnings, capital, savings or investments if you receive Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based), Employment and Support Allowance (income-related) or Pension Credit (Guarantee credit).
This means your last five payslips if you are paid weekly, your last three payslips if you are paid every two weeks, or your last two payslips if you are paid monthly or 4-weekly.
If you or your partner are self-employed, please complete the self-employed statement which can be found here or you can send in a copy of your last year’s accounts from your accountant. Do not send in your tax return as this cannot be used for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction purposes. Also, do not send receipts we will ask for these if we need them.
For example, pension slips from a former employer and proof of any money people pay you for board and lodgings. If you receive any benefits or pensions including Tax Credits, we will get this information from HM Revenue and Customs, The Department for Work and Pensions, or The Pension Service.
If you are in receipt of a war pension, or Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, please provide the letter showing what you are entitled to from the April of the year you are claiming in as we cannot get access to this information through The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency or The Department for Work and Pensions for these benefits.
If you receive a student grant or loan, we need to see your financial assessment notice detailing the breakdown of the award, and a student certificate from your college/university to confirm the course you are attending and your term dates.
Bank statements and proof of all capital relating to the last 2 full months before your claim. Please note, these are only required if your capital is over £6,000 if you are under pension age (currently 66 years of age) and £10,000 if you are over pensionable age (currently 66 years of age).
We will use the information you give in this form, and in any supporting proof you send, to process your application for Council Tax Reduction.
We may pass the information to other agencies or organisations such as the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue & Customs, as allowed by law. We may check information you have provided, or information about you that someone else has provided, with other information we hold.
We may share relevant information about you with other council departments, other councils, and landlords, to make sure you receive the correct amount of welfare benefits and services.
We may also receive information about you from certain third parties or give information to them to make sure the information is accurate to prevent or detect crime and protect public funds. These third parties include government departments, other local authorities and private-sector organisations such as banks and organisations that may lend you money.
We will not give information about you to anyone else, or use information about you for other purposes, unless the law allows this.
We are the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. If you want to know more about what information we have about you or the way we use that information please write to us at Tewkesbury Borough Council Public Service Centre Gloucester Road Tewkesbury GL20 5TT or email customerservices@tewkesbury.gov.uk