Council Tax Support

Council Tax Support (also known as Council Tax Reduction) is a benefit to help people who are on a low income or claiming certain benefits to pay their Council Tax bill.

Each local council is responsible for operating their own Council Tax Support scheme so the amounts of support given across the country may vary.

The amount of Council Tax Support you will get depends on many factors, including:

which benefits you receive
your age
your income
your savings
who you live with
how much Council Tax you pay

You may get more Council Tax Support if you receive a disability or carers benefit.

If you receive the Guarantee Credit Part of Pension Credit you may even get your Council Tax paid in full. If you don't get Guarantee Credit but you have a low income and less than £16,000 in savings, you may still get some help.

Pensioners still need to pay Council Tax, but may get a discount if they live alone, or depending on their situation be entitled to Council Tax Support.

You can claim Council Tax Support regardless of whether you own your own home or rent, or whether you're working or unemployed.

Torridge District Council's Council Tax Support Scheme

Local Council Tax Support Scheme for Working Age People

The Council Tax Support Scheme for Torridge is based on the previous Council Tax Benefit Scheme with five changes and associated principles detailed below:

1. Everyone should pay something

All claimants are required to pay a contribution to their council tax - This is achieved by reducing everyone's Council Tax liability to 75% before any council tax support is awarded.

2. Those living in larger properties should not receive greater levels of support than those occupying smaller properties

Council Tax Support will be restricted to a Band D council tax liability (before the 75% liability restriction is applied). This means that households in higher banded properties would have their support reduced to the council tax liability level as if they occupied a band D property.

3. Those with relatively high savings or capital should pay towards their council tax

A £6,000 savings capital limit has been introduced for the scheme. This means that no Council Tax Support will be paid to households with more than £6,000 in savings.

4. Withdrawal of Second Adult Rebate Allowance

Second Adult Rebate has been abolished. This is where an allowance was provided when one member of a household is working and receiving low income, while the liable person is not entitled to any rebate because their income is too high.

5. Provide additional support for exceptional cases through an Exceptional Hardship Fund

The Exceptional Hardship Fund is to help tax payers who could find themselves in exceptional hardship without further assistance. The fund has limited capacity and is generally available to people who already receive council tax support - but need additional top up.

The principles behind the fund is to help people over a short term crisis when their income does not meet reasonable expenses. Please see the Exceptional Hardship Policy below for more information. If you would like to apply for such an award; please phone the council on 01237 428700 and speak to a benefit advisor who will talk this through with you.

Definition of working and pensioner age group for CTS

The Section 13A Policy (Council Tax Support Scheme) description is as follows:

Working Age Policy applies to a person who:

Has not attained the qualifying age for state pension credit; or
Has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit if he, and his partner, is a person on income support, on an income based JSA, or on an income-related employment and support allowance.

The Pension Age Policy applies to a person who:

Has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit; and
Is not, or if he has a partner, his partner is not a person on income support, on an income based JSA, or on an income-related employment and support allowance.

About the Council Tax Support Scheme, for working age customers only from 01/04/2023

To read full details of our 2023/2024 Scheme, please download a copy here Torridge S13A Scheme from April 2023 (PDF) [1MB]

For details of the 2022/2023 Scheme, please see related downloads section below.

The income bands for 2023/2024 scheme are set out as shown in the table below:

Band	Discount	Passported	Single	Couple	Family with 1 child/young person	Family with more than 1 child/young person
1*	75%	Income support, Jobseekers allowance (income based), Employment & Support allowance (income related) and Universal credit (no earnings)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Monthly income - Universal Credit with earnings:
2	40%	N/A	£0 to £477	£0 to £650	£0 to £1,018	£0 to £1,603
3	20%	N/A	£477.01 to £693	£650.01 to £867	£1,018.01 to £1,235	£1,603.01 to £1,820
4	10%	N/A	£693.01 to £888	£867.01 to £1,062	£1,235.01 to £1,430	£1,820.01 to £2,015
5	0%	N/A	Over £888	Over £1,062	Over £1,430	Over £2,015
Monthly income - Prescribed Incomes as defined within paragraph 1 of schedule 1:
1	40%	N/A	£0 to £477	£0 to £650	£0 to £,1018	£0 to £1,603
2	20%	N/A	£477.01 to £693	£650.01 to £867	£1,018.01 to £1,235	£1,603.01 to £1,820
3	10%	N/A	£693.01 to £888	£867.01 to £1,062	£1,235.01 to £1,430	£1,820.01 to £2,015
4	0%	N/A	Over £888	Over £1,062	Over £1,430	Over £2,015

Key features of the working age banded scheme from 01/04/2023:

Everyone should pay something.
All claimants will be required to pay a contribution to their council tax. This is achieved by reducing everyone's council tax liability to 75% before any council tax support is calculated
Those living in larger properties will have their Council Tax Support limited to a Band D charge. This means that if you live in a band E, F, G or H the maximum award you can receive will be 75% of a band D charge in the parish you live in
Any household with savings in excess of £6,000 will not qualify for assistance
There are no deductions for any non-dependants living in the household
There are no applicable amounts, instead working age people will receive a % discount based on the above grid, depending on the level of income and the income band they fall into
Income taken into account in the calculation will be earnings from employment or self employment, working tax credits and occupational and personal pensions
Net earned income will be used in the calculation (gross minus tax, national insurance contributions and 50% of any pension contributions)
For those in employment who pay childcare, the standard childcare cost will be applied, up to £175 for one child and £300 for two or more
Backdating will be limited to 6 months and assessed on whether there is 'good cause' to do so

Universal Credit

For people in receipt of universal credit (UC) the following will apply:

Where the UC payment is worked out based on wages, we will still take the wages into account
Deductions from the UC award, such as advance payments, will be added back and included as income

How do I claim?

Use this online form to Apply for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Support or if you would like advice about claiming benefit, phone the council on 01237 428700 or send us an email including a contact phone number and we will discuss what you need to do next.

You can use this online form to Report a change of circumstances for Housing Benefits and/or Council Tax Support

Due to increased volumes of correspondence, the phone lines for Council Tax and Benefits are currently closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will aim to fully open the lines again in the near future.

In order to claim council tax support it will be necessary for you to complete an application form - see related downloads section below.

You will also need to provide the benefits team with ORIGINAL evidence in support of your application. Further details are provided on the application form - see related downloads section below.

Please contact the Benefits team if:

You have never claimed benefits before
You are working but do not have wage slips (you will need to ask your employer to complete a certificate of earnings form)

If you wish, you may print off and complete one of the forms provided online.

Related downloads

Contact us

If you have any queries, or require help, please contact the Benefits Team.

email: benefits@torridge.gov.uk
phone: 01237 428700
post: Benefits Team, Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford EX39 2QG