• What is council tax benefit?
• What is second adult rebate?
• How is council tax benefit calculated?
• How is second adult rebate calculated?
• Can you tell me how much benefit I will get before I make a claim?
• How do I claim?
• Where can I get help to complete my claim form?
• What evidence will I need to support my claim?
• How will I know if my claim is successful?
• Housing benefit and council tax benefit - contact details

Council tax benefit is a national welfare benefit designed to help people on a low income to pay their council tax.

Anyone responsible for paying council tax can apply for council tax benefit. It doesn’t matter if your home is rented or if it’s your own, or if you’re in employment or not.

However, there are certain criteria to meet and you won’t qualify for council tax benefit if your household’s income and savings are above a certain level. Most asylum seekers and people sponsored to be in the UK won't get Council Tax Benefit either.

To help us calculate your claim we’ll need to know details of the household’s income and savings.

If you get council tax benefit you may be entitled to other benefits too. For example, if you are on a low income and you rent your home, you may be able to claim housing benefit as well.

• Housing benefit

If you don't qualify for council tax benefit but you live another adult (not a partner) who is on a low income, you may be able to claim ‘second adult rebate' towards their share of the bill.

The other person must not be paying council tax themselves, or paying you rent.

We'll need to know details of this person's income and savings but we don't need to know your income and savings information as it's not taken into account when we calculate claims for second adult rebate.

We calculate council tax benefit on a sliding scale dependent on your:

• council tax charge,
• income and capital, and
• family size and their circumstances.

We then compare this to what the government says you need to live on.

The law says we can ignore the first £6,000 of your savings, (£10,000 if you have reached the qualifying age for state pension). However we will and add £1 to your weekly income for every £500 (or part) your savings are over £6,000, up to a maximum of £16,000.

If you have over £16,000 in savings, you will not normally qualify for benefit, unless you're getting the 'guarantee credir' of Pension Credit

If you are working, we will calculate your net weekly wage by deducting any payments of National Insurance and Income Tax, and 50% of any pension contributions that you make. Other deductions that you pay are not deducted for benefit calculation purposes.

If you are claiming second adult rebate we do not take into account the income and savings details of you or your partner. We only need to know the details of the adult living with you who is on a low income.

We will compare this information to what the government says they need to live on.

Unfortunately we can't tell you exactly how much benefit you will get before we calculate your completed claim.

However, we can give you an estimate. Simply complete our online calculator for an instant estimate.

Remember this calculation is an estimate based on the information you supply.

You must complete an application form and provide the evidence asked for. We use the same form whether you want to apply for council tax benefit, second adult rebate or housing benefit.

You can download a form using the link below, or call in at one of our Customer Service Centres or Library and Information Offices. Alternatively, phone us and we'll send you one.

Return your completed application form, and original supporting evidence to us, although please do not send valuable documents through the post.

• Housing benefit and council tax benefit application form (PDF: 158kb)

You can give us your claim even if you don’t have all the evidence you need as yet. We normally give you benefit from the Monday after we receive your claim so any delay could mean you lose out on money you could have had.

We're happy to help you complete your form, and to tell you what evidence you will need to give us. Use the contact details at the bottom of this page.

Alternatively you can visit one of the local advice agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau.

We need to see evidence of everything you put on your claim form so we can confirm the details you have given us are right. This makes sure we safeguard public funds as far as possible from people making fraudulent claims.

You (and your partner if they live in the same household) must each provide proof of identity and National Insurance Number, otherwise the law says we can’t process your claim.

If you're claiming second adult rebate

We only need to see income and savings details for the person who lives with you.

If you're claiming council tax benefit

If you’re working, we’ll need to see:

• 5 recent wage slips if you’re paid weekly,
• 2 recent wage slips if you’re paid monthly or 4-weekly.

If you don’t have wage slips you can download our form called Claimant’s Earning Certificate for your employer to complete. If you’re self employed we’ll need to see your most recent accounts. If the business is new, or has been running for less than one year, please complete our Self Employed Earner form.

• Self employed earner
• Claimant's earning certificate

If you pay for child care

In certain circumstances we can ignore these costs for the purpose of calculating your claim. Even if we can ignore them, we still need to know they exist and see proof, such as a letter from the child care provider with their registration number.

Once we have calculated your completed claim we will write to you to tell you the outcome of your claim. If you are entitled to benefit the letter will tell you how much you will receive.

It is important you check your letter to make sure the details we have used are correct.