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CONTACT

Council Tax Service
Benefits Service

General enquiries: 03450 450 500

Pay my bill online

Popular FAQs

• How do I claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit?
• What happens if I cannot pay my council tax?
• I live on my own, can I get a council tax discount?
• How is my benefit worked out?
• What is my council tax band and how is this decided?

Other FAQs

Claiming benefits

Help with your rent and/or council tax?

Whether you own your own home or rent you will probably have to pay council tax. If you do not own your home you will probably pay rent.

• Housing Benefit can help towards your rent.
• Council Tax Benefit can help towards your council tax.

Housing benefit cannot help towards day-to-day costs. If your rent includes things like food, water charges, and personal laundry or heating (other than communal areas), these parts will not be included.

It does not matter whether you pay rent to a private landlord or to this council. We want to make sure you and your family get the right help, at the right time, in the right way.

Are you on a low income and paying rent and/or council tax?

You may still be able to get benefit even if you are working. You could claim housing benefit and/or council tax benefit.

• If you have over £16,000 savings and investments you cannot normally apply for benefit unless you are aged 60 or over and receiving the guaranteed pension credit
• Savings over £6,000 will normally attract notional income that is added to your actual income when calculating your benefit entitlement.
• There are special housing benefit rules if you are single and aged under 25.
• Most asylum seekers and people who are sponsored to be in the UK cannot get housing benefit or council tax benefit
• If you live in a property where your landlord/landlady is also resident and you are defined by legislation to be a close relative of your landlord/lady, you cannot get housing benefit.
• You cannot usually get housing benefit if you are a full time student unless you are disabled or have children. As a student you will not usually have to pay council tax.

How housing and council tax benefit is worked out.

We will look at:

• Money you and your partner have coming in, including earnings, some benefits and tax credits and things like occupational pensions
• Your savings and your partner's savings
• Your circumstances, such as your age, the ages and size of your family and whether anyone lives with you.
  

In the case of housing benefit we will also look at whether:

• The amount of rent is reasonable for your particular home
• Your home is a reasonable size for your family
• The amount of rent is reasonable for the area your home is in.

More information:

• Visit our frequently asked questions section.
• Download a range of benefit leaflets from the www.benefit-leaflets.org website (This link will open in a new window).

Second adult rebate

If you share your home with one adult (a person aged 18 or over) or more:

• who is not your partner
• does not pay council tax themselves
• is on a low income
• does not pay you rent on a commercial basis

you may be able to get help towards your council tax. This is called second adult rebate and is based on the other adult's circumstances, however you will have to make the claim.

Make your claim soon

Benefit is normally awarded from the Monday after your claim is received by the Council or a designated office.

If you delay you may lose benefit. If you have a question that has not been answered here, contact the benefits service.

Download and print off an application form:

If you and your partner are below State Pension Age (This link will open in a new window):

• Application for housing and council tax benefit

If you or your partner have reached State Pension Age (This link will open in a new window), download the first document and follow the instructions in part 5:

• Application for Housing and Council Tax benefit - Pensioners only
• Pensioners form A - about children who live with you
• Pensioners form B - about people who live with you
• Pensioners form C - about working for an employer
• Pensioners form D - about being self employed
• Pensioners form E - about capital, savings and investments
• Pensioners form FG - about rent

Please indicate your intention to apply by sending an email to benefits@scambs.gov.uk containing your name and address and confirming that you have downloaded an application form. Alternatively you can request that we send you a form in the post. The date you request or download a form could affect the date your benefit is paid from.

If you know someone who is claiming benefit fraudulently you can report this in confidence on the Fraud Hotline 0800 731 1892 or via our online benefits referral form.