Council Tax Support
If you pay Council Tax and you are on a low income you might be able to get help towards paying your Council Tax.
On this page:
Claiming Council Tax Support
You can apply for Council Tax Support if you and your partner:
- have under £6,000 in savings if you are of working age, unless you or your partner get a disability benefit
- have under £16,000 if you are of pensionable age, unless you get Guaranteed Pension Credit
How Council Tax Support is worked out
The amount you get depends on your income, savings and circumstances. We will consider:
- who is in your household
- your income and savings
- if you have a disability, or are a carer
We work out your Council Tax Support by comparing your weekly income with your applicable amount.
Your applicable amount is the minimum amount the government says you and your family need to live on each week.
If you are of working age, you will pay at least 10 percent of your Council Tax bill (unless you are getting a disability benefit).
If you have other adults living with you, such as a son or daughter, it may reduce the amount of support you can receive, unless you are receiving a disability benefit. You can find out how other adults living with you can affect your Council Tax Support.
For full details of the Council Tax Support Scheme, please open the document below.
Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2024-2025 (PDF) [1MB]
How to make your claim
To make your claim for Council Tax Support you should complete the online form.
You will need to give us some information about you, your partner, any children or any other adults living in your home.
Examples include:
- details about you and any other adults that live with you including names, dates of birth and national insurance numbers
- your wages and any state benefits you or your partner receive
- any childcare costs you pay
- income details of other adults living with you
The form will also ask you to upload some evidence. This can be a photo of a document or a PDF. You might be asked to provide:
- proof of identification for you and your partner
- recent payslips for you and your partner
- bank statements that show your savings or any regular payments you receive
- proof of other income
If you can provide all the documents we ask for when you complete the form, we can process your claim more quickly.
The form should take about 15 minutes to complete.
You can send any documents to us by email at benefits@nfdc.gov.uk or upload your information using our online form below.
What happens next
We will acknowledge the receipt of your claim once you submit the form. If we need more information, we will contact you.
We will make a decision about your claim as soon as we can. Our average time to process a claim is 12 days.
Please do not contact us to enquire about your claim until two weeks have passed after you submit your claim.
If you are entitled to Council Tax Support, this amount will show as a reduction on your Council Tax bill.
Further help
There is support available, please look at our webpage dedicated to supporting residents with the cost of living.
If you receive Council Tax Support but still have some council tax to pay and cannot afford to pay it, contact us straight away.
We may be able to defer or spread your payments. If your council tax payments are still causing you financial hardship you can apply for Exceptional Hardship Payments.
Any award is at our discretion and is intended to be a short term award to give you time to seek assistance and resolve your financial difficulties.
Each case is considered on its own merits, and as funding is limited awards will only be made in exceptional circumstances.
Use our online form to make your claim.
Apply for Exceptional Hardship Payments
Contact us
To help with paying Council Tax contact us by emailing counciltax@nfdc.gov.uk or you can call us on 01590 646111.
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