Council tax reduction
If you are on a low income, council tax reduction could help you pay your council tax bill.
Who can apply
You can apply for council tax reduction if:
- you are responsible for paying the council tax for the property you live in
- you and any partner are on a low income (you could be in work, self-employed, receiving a pension or receiving benefits)
Amount of reduction
There are different rules about how much reduction you could receive depending on whether you are working age or state pension age.
If you have a weekly income of between:
£0 and £120, you could receive a reduction of 80%
£120.01 and £150, you could receive a reduction of 50%
£150.01 and £200, you could receive a reduction of 30%
£200.01 and £250, you could receive a reduction of 20%
£250.01 and £300, you could receive a reduction of 10%
If you are in receipt of certain benefits, you will receive the maximum reduction of 80%.
Some incomes are not taken into account when we work out your reduction. These include Carers Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance.
If you have savings of £6,000 or more you will not be eligible for council tax reduction.
The amount you receive will depend on your household circumstances and income.
If you have savings of £16,000 or more you will not be eligible for council tax reduction unless you are receiving Guarantee Credit (part of Pension Credit).
If you are receiving Guarantee Credit, you will be entitled to the maximum council tax reduction of 100%. This could be reduced if you have other adults who live with you, not including your partner.
You can find out more about GOV.UK’s Pension Credit.
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Apply for council tax reduction
To apply for council tax reduction, you will need to complete an application form.
The form is best filled out on a laptop or computer. Free access to computers are available at your local library.
You can also download a Microsoft Word version of the form if you are unable to edit the PDF version.
Once you have completed the form, email it to housingbenefit@southglos.gov.uk.
You can ask for a paper copy of the form. Call us on 01454 868002 or visit one of our One Stop Shops.
If you are applying in person you will need to hand in your form and any supporting documents for your claim at one of our One Stop Shops.
We can also provide support with completing your form if needed.
Where possible provide original documents. We may ask for further evidence if it is required.
Privacy notice
Find out how we collect, use and share your data in our privacy notice for housing benefit, discretionary housing payments and local council tax reduction.
Sometimes we need information about other people who live in the same household as you so we can work out how much you will be eligible for.