Council tax support
Council Tax Support is the way that we help residents on a low income to pay their Council Tax.
Every council in England has to devise their own Council Tax Support scheme. St Albans City and District Council decided to make their Council Tax Support scheme the same as the old Council Tax Benefit scheme. This means residents can receive a discount of up to 100% of the Council Tax charge for the property.
From April 2019 we have introduced a new Council Tax Support scheme for residents who are also claiming Universal Credit.
This does not apply to pensioners and people of working age who do not claim Universal Credit. Their entitlement will continue to be calculated under the original scheme.
New Council Tax Support scheme
This scheme looks purely at whether a Universal Credit claimant is working and if so, what their net monthly earnings are. We will receive this information directly from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Our scheme has a series of 'income bands' and we will work out a claimant's entitlement to Council Tax Support based on what band their earned income falls within. A banded scheme means that small changes in a claimant's income will not necessarily change their entitlement to Council Tax Support.
Income bands and contributions 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
Income bands – monthly earnings | Contribution towards Council Tax (monthly)* |
Not in work or less than £330 | £0 |
£330 to £669.99 | £40 |
£670 to £1274.99 | £85 |
£1275 to £2029.99 | £130 |
£2030 to £2609.99 | £200 |
£2610 to £3194.99 | £260 |
Over £3195 | No entitlement to Council Tax Support |
*Additionally, all residents in receipt of Council Tax Support as at the 1st of April 2023 will get up to a further £60 off their annual Council Tax bill from the Government's Council Tax Support Fund.
Our scheme will only look at a claimant's earned income. We ignore any Universal Credit or any other income which the claimant receives.
What we think that the advantages of this scheme are:
It gives stability to those whose wages fluctuate by a small amount each month.
People who are receiving Universal Credit but not working or only earning a small amount will receive a full discount (subject to any non-dependent deductions).
It is less complex and easier for applicants to understand.
It allows claimants to earn more money without it necessarily increasing Council Tax payments.
It will be simpler to administer and may allow the council to make savings in administration costs.
What happens next?
We will write to you and let you know the outcome of your claim. We call this a decision notice. Please read your letter carefully to check everything is correct. If there is anything you do not understand, the document below may help.
If you do not agree with the decision on your claim, you can ask us to explain, to look at it again or you can appeal against the decision.
