Council tax discount could slash your bill to £0 - but millions are missing out
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Millions of households will see their council tax bill rise again from this April - but there are ways to check if you can cut your bill. Councils in England that provide social care services are allowed to increase bills by up to 5%, while others can put up costs by 3%. If they want to introduce larger rises, councils have to hold a referendum. The average band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2024/25 was £2,171, according to Government figures.
But latest figures from Policy in Practice show 2.3million people are failing to claim a huge £3.4billion in council tax support that they're fully entitled to. The average claim for working-age council tax support is £1,464, while the support for pensioners is worth an average of £1,670. Here is all the help you can get.
If you claim benefits or are on a low income, see if you can get help through a Council Tax Support or Council Tax Reduction scheme. In some cases, the discount can be worth up to 100% off your bill - meaning you'd pay no council tax. It may also be possible to get your council tax bill backdated.
Each council runs its own version of a council tax discount scheme, so the eligibility criteria varies depending on where you live. Generally speaking, it largely depends on your income, if you claim benefits, if children live with you, and if other adults are in your household. To see what support could be available, contact your local council.
You could get a council tax discount worth between 25% to 100% off your bill, depending on who lives with you. For example, if you live alone, you get 25% off your council tax bill. The same goes if there is one adult living with someone else who is "disregarded" from payment council tax.
