How will I know how much benefit I will receive?
Once we have calculated your completed claim we will write to you to tell you how much benefit you will get. It is important you check your letter to make sure the details we have used are correct.
We will also send you a new council tax bill showing the amount of benefit you receive on it.
How will I receive my council tax benefit payments?
We will deduct your benefit direct from your council tax account, meaning you won’t receive any payments yourself.
We will send you a new council tax bill showing your benefit and give you a new payment plan if you still have some council tax left to pay.
What happens if my circumstances change?
You need to tell us straight away if your circumstances change whilst you're claiming council tax benefit or second adult rebate, and give us evidence of this change. The sooner you tell us about a change the quicker we can make sure you receive right amount of benefit.
What happens if I think your decision about my benefit is wrong?
When we have assessed your claim we will send you a letter detailing how much benefit you will get and how we have calculated your claim.
If you do not agree with the decision we make on your claim you can appeal.
If you wish to appeal, you must do so within one calendar month of the date of the notification letter(s), detailing the reasons why you do not agree and any supporting evidence. Your appeal must be in writing. You can use the form at the back of our leaflet
Send your appeal to:
The Appeals Officer
Kirklees Council
Benefits Section
Civic Centre 1
Huddersfield
HD1 2NF
The Appeals Officer will consider your appeal and if the decision is not revised to your advantage they will send your appeal onto the Tribunals Service to be heard at a tribunal.
What happens if you give me too much money?
If we give you too much benefit, it is called an 'overpayment'. Overpayments can happen for several reasons. These include:
- where you or someone in your household receives more income and you don't tell us of the change in your circumstances.
- where we have made an error or delay in calculating your benefit.
We will recover an overpayment from you by adding the amount of benefit overpayment to your council tax account. We will send you a new council tax bill with a payment plan for you to follow. If you are unable to make the new payments you must contact our Council Tax Section on 01484 414900 or email council.tax@kirklees.gov.uk to discuss an alternative payment arrangement.
