Council Tax Support

The Council Tax Support application form you fill in asks all the questions that we need answered to work out if you qualify for support. How much Council Tax Support you get depends on your savings, money you have coming in, money you need to live on, Council Tax you pay and any other adults who may live in your home.

• if you have a partner we must also take account of their personal details

Savings

• if you and/or your partner are of working age and have saving and investments totalling more than £10,000 (£16,000 if you are classed as vulnerable) you might not get Council Tax Support

• if you and/or your partner are of pension age and have savings and investments totalling more than £16,000 you might not get Council Tax Support

• for pensioners £10,000 is disregarded and for every £500 we must add £1 onto your weekly income. We ignore any actual interest your savings earn

How much money you have coming in

The money you and your family have coming in may be earnings or unearned income, such as social security benefits or a pension from work.

We can ignore certain parts of your income such as Disability Living Allowance or War Pensions. However, you must still tell us about them.

From 1 April 2023, small changes in income for those getting Universal Credit will be ignored until the increase or decrease in weekly entitlement is more than £3.25 per week.

How much money you need to live on

Our Council Tax Support scheme sets the minimum level of income you must have after paying your rent. This is called your applicable amount. Your applicable amount is made up of Personal Allowances and Premiums.

Personal Allowances depend on

• your age
• whether you are single or have a partner
• how many dependent children you have and their age

Premiums recognise that some people have special or extra needs, such as

• families
• elderly people
• people with a disability
• carers - people who look after sick and disabled people

We add the personal allowances and premiums together to give the amount of money you need to live on. We cannot alter them.

The amount of Council Tax you pay

The amount of Council Tax you have to pay is shown on a Council Tax bill which Runnymede Borough Council will send you. The bill will show you the gross Council Tax and any discounts or reductions that you are entitled to. If you are already getting Council Tax Support, this will be shown as a reduction on your bill.

 Council Tax Reduction Scheme - Pensioners 2023-24

 Council Tax Reduction Scheme - Persons who are not Pensions 2023-24