Most households with at least one occupant aged over 18 have to pay Council Tax. Council Tax is used to pay for local services, and the rate you pay is based on the value of your home.
The current cost of living crisis has seen people across the UK struggling to keep up with their bills and many having to choose between food and warmth as the winter sets in. Inflation rates are at record highs as the world recovers from the Covid 19 pandemic, and the price of oil and gas has rocketed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions.
To assist people with their energy bills, the UK government introduced a Council Tax rebate worth £150 in April 2022, available for everyone living in a band A to band D property. In addition, there are further rebates for certain people available to claim at any time.
We are going to take a look at Council Tax rebates, find out who can get them, how much they are worth, and how you can claim yours.
You don't need to claim the 2022 energy bill Council Tax rebate; it will be paid directly into your account if you are eligible. If you don't pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit or want to apply for an additional rebate outside of the energy bill support, contact your local council with your inquiry.
The energy bill rebate should have been paid to every eligible household by November 30, 2022. If your household is eligible and you have not received it yet, you need to contact your council and ask them to send it as soon as possible.
So let's jump in and find out how much your Council Tax rebate is worth.
A general Council Tax rebate varies in size depending on your situation. However, the Council Tax rebate issued in April 2022 is worth £150 per household.
Most households should have received it by now, but some may still be waiting.
Normally, only full-time students and people with disabilities are eligible for Council Tax rebates (which we will learn more about later). However, the April 2022 rebate of £150 is available for all households in the Council Tax bands A to D.
You can also get the £150 rebate if your household doesn't normally pay Council Tax if you are:
- students
- under 18
- living with severe mental impairment
- in a house with an annex where a dependent relative is living
If you already receive Council Tax Reduction or a discount, you are also still eligible to claim the rebate.
The Council Tax band your house is in determines how much Council Tax you pay each month. In England, the bands are calculated based on the value of your property on April 1, 1991.
You can find out your Council Tax band by using the government's online checker. If you think your house has been valued incorrectly, you can dispute your bill with your local authority.
The table below shows the value ranges and the corresponding Council Tax bands for properties valued on April 1, 1991.
Council Tax band | Value of property on April 1, 1991 |
A | Up to £40,000 |
B | £40,000-£52,000 |
C | £52,000-£68,000 |
D | £68,000-£88,000 |
Local councils started making payments of the energy bill rebate in April 2022. The initial deadline for all the payments to be completed was 30 September 2022. However, this was then extended to 30 November 2022.
For general Council Tax rebates, your payment will be processed once your rebate application has been accepted.
If you pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit, your rebate will be paid directly into your bank account.
If you don't pay your bill by Direct Debit, you must contact your local council and make a claim. Some councils will then put credit into your Council Tax account, while others will give you vouchers.
If you have already received the £150 rebate and are still struggling to keep up with your Council Tax bills, you may be able to claim an additional rebate.
You will need to contact your local council and inform them of your situation. Not everyone is eligible, but additional support is available for those who most need it.
Some households are exempt from paying Council Tax altogether. This may be because of the property itself or because of the situation of the inhabitants.
Households that may be exempt include:
- condemned properties - properties that have been closed by local authorities
- properties that have been repossessed by the mortgage lender
- properties now unoccupied because the person who lived there lives elsewhere because they need full-time care
- properties now unoccupied because the person who lived there lives with someone else that they care for
- properties that only students live in
- properties in which all the inhabitants under 18
- properties occupied only by people with severe mental impairments
- a self-contained annex where the inhabitant is a dependent relative of the owner of the main property
You may be eligible for a Council Tax Reduction or discount if you:
- have no income or a low income
- are disabled
- live alone
When your Council Tax bill is calculated, the council will take into account how many people live in your property and what their statuses are. Certain people are not included in the count of how many people live in the property and are 'disregarded.' This means you can get a discount if the council was unaware of their situation.
Disregarded people include:
- under 18s
- people on apprentice schemes
- 18 or 19 years old and in full-time education
- full-time students
- under 25 years old who receive funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency
- foreign language assistants registered with the British Council
- people with severe mental impairments
- live-in carers
- diplomats
If everyone in your household is disregarded, you will get 50% off your Council Tax bill.
You will get 25% off your Council Tax bill if:
- you live alone
- everyone in your home is disregarded, apart from one person
You might be able to apply for a Council Tax discount or exemption if you or someone you live with is disabled.
You may get a discount if you live in a larger property to accommodate the needs of the disabled occupant. To qualify, you have to show that you either have:
- an additional bathroom, kitchen, or other room that is needed for the disabled person
- extra space inside for using a wheelchair
The property must be the main home of at least one disabled person of any age. If you qualify, your Council Tax bill will be reduced to the next lowest band. So if you are in band C, you will be moved to band B.
You may also be eligible for a Council Tax discount if you or someone you live with is mentally impaired. To qualify, you will need to:
- get a certificate from a medical professional to prove the severity of the mental impairment
- prove you are eligible for certain benefits
If you or someone you live with qualifies as severely mentally impaired, you will get a 100% discount on your Council Tax bill if:
- you live alone
- other adults in your household qualify as severely mentally impaired or are full-time students
If everyone else in your household is 'disregarded,' you will get a 50% discount.
You will get a 25% discount on your Council Tax if you live with someone who has qualified as severely mentally impaired and either of the following apply:
- there are no other adults in your household
- everyone else in your home is disregarded
If you receive a Council Tax rebate and are not eligible, you should contact your local council as soon as possible. The council will likely ask that you return the rebate. You could be fined if you do not inform them of the mistake.
The 2022 energy bill Council Tax rebate is designed to help band A to band D households with the rising energy costs. It is worth £150 and should be paid directly into your account unless you do not pay Council Tax by Direct Debit, in which case you should contact your local council directly. Other Council Tax rebates are available for people in certain circumstances who have been paying full Council Tax when they are eligible for a reduction.
Council Tax is used to support local residents in their daily lives. Therefore, when the bills begin to add to the struggle of rocketing prices during a cost-of-living crisis, rebates are made available to help people with the pinch.