Overview
Council tax benefit was abolished in April 2013 and a new local scheme was introduced known as Council Tax Support.
We adopted a Council Tax Support scheme following an initial consultation prior to the commencement of the scheme in April 2013 and a subsequent consultation was carried out in 2016.
The Council Tax Support scheme continues to align with the Housing Benefit scheme and the percentage reduction of support until 31 March 2022 is at 12% for claimants of working age. From 1 April 2022 there is no reduction in support for claimants of working age.
Details
- Available In
- Ribble Valley
- What we can help with
- Information on government/council support schemes
Additional Information
Working Age Customers
Our Council Tax Support scheme calculates entitlement in the same way as the previous Council Tax Benefit scheme with a 12% reduction applied for all claimants of working age until 31 March 2022. From 1 April 2022 there is no reduction for working age claimants.
Family Premium
No family premium will be awarded where an application for support is received on or after 1 April 2017 for new claims.
Backdating
The scheme introduces a maximum limit for backdating Council Tax Support claims up to 1 month.
Dependant Children
From April 2017 the dependant’s additions will be limited to a maximum of two. This will only affect households who have a third or subsequent child on or after 1 April 2017. There will be exceptions please contact us for further advice on 01200 425111.
Severe Disability Premium
If another person is paid Carers Allowance to look after a Council Tax Support claimant, then the Severe Disability Premium is not included when working out their needs (applicable amounts). The reason for this is that it avoids paying for the same care twice.
Employment Support Allowance
No work-related activity component will be awarded where the claimant or partner makes a new claim for Employment and Support Allowance on or after 1 April 2017.
If you are intending on leaving Great Britain for a period of more than 4 weeks (for example: to go on holiday or visit family overseas) you must let us know before you go because Council Tax Support cannot normally continue to be paid if you are going to be absent from Great Britain for more than 4 weeks. However, there are certain exceptions to this, so please contact Benefits on 01200 425111 or email benefits@ribblevalley.gov.uk for further advice.
Pensioner Age Customers
The old Council Tax Benefit scheme has been almost retained within our local support scheme and we have continued to protect pensioners, as prescribed by Central Government.