Main Council Tax Benefit
Main Council Tax Benefit is a Government scheme to help you pay your council tax if you are on a low income or get some state benefits.
You will usually get all your council tax paid (unless there other adults living with you) if you get any of the following:
- Income-based Jobseekers’ Allowance or Employment Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Guaranteed Pension Credit
If you are on a low income, you can also get some council tax benefit. The amount you get will depend on your income, the amount of Council Tax you have to pay, the amount of money you and your family need to live on, and whether other adults share your home.
You cannot normally get main Council Tax Benefit if you have savings of £16,000 or more, but some pensioners are excluded from this rule if they are getting a savings credit in their Pension Credit.
In some cases, you can have your bill reduced, regardless of your own circumstances (including earnings and savings) if someone else who lives with you gets certain benefits or is on a low income. This is called Second Adult Rebate
Second Adult Rebate
You could get up to 25% off your Council Tax bill
Even if you are not on a low income, you can claim second adult rebate if you are responsible for the Council Tax and you share your home with one or more adults who are:
- Over 18 and not paying you rent; and
- Not your spouse or partner, and
- They are not responsible for paying the Council Tax, and
- They get certain benefits such as job seekers allowance or income support, or they are on a low income.
Your own income and savings are not taken into account.
Second Adult Rebate can only be paid if the circumstances described above apply and you are the only person who is responsible for paying the Council Tax (unless the other responsible person(s) is/are not counted for Council Tax purposes).
Who can claim?
You can claim Council Tax Benefit if you are the person (or one of the people) who is responsible for paying the Council Tax on your home.
If you are not sure if you earn too much to qualify, you should claim anyway.
How much benefit could I get?
Use our online benefits calculator to get an estimate of how much Council Tax Benefit or Second Adult Rebate you could get
How to apply?
You can use the online claim form to apply for Council Tax Benefit from Waltham Forest Council.
Apply online
The service is available 24/7 and you can use this anytime from the comfort of your home.
Make a claim for Benefit now using our online form
Apply by telephone
You can make a claim, report a change in your circumstances and make enquiries over the phone.
You can call us on 020 8496 8550 between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday.
Visit us at our Customer Service Centre or Leyton Library to:
- make general enquiries,
- make a claim for Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit, or Free School meals.
- report a change in your circumstances if you are already claiming benefit
- drop off evidence and information to support your benefit claim
- make an appointment to see a Benefits officer if your enquiry cannot be dealt with immediately.
The Customer Service Centre (137 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 4RT) is open Monday – Friday from 8.30am – 6pm and Saturday 9am-1pm.
Leyton Library (High Road Leyton, E10 5QH) is open Monday - Friday from 9am – 7pm, Saturday 9am - 6pm and Sunday 12pm - 4pm. Appointments to see a Benefits officer at the Library are only available on Wednesday & Thursday afternoons.
Home visit
If you are housebound or elderly, call the Visiting Team on 020 8496 8343 and leave a message. Please give a brief reason for your request and provide a contact telephone number so that a Visiting Officer can ring you back. Alternatively you can ring the Benefits Team on 020 8496 8550 and they will arrange for a visiting officer to contact you.
What else do I need to do when I apply?
When you apply you will need to show us evidence to support your claim. Every person claiming benefit must provide original and verifiable documentation to support their claim. This is to make sure that benefits are paid to those who need them, and at the same time making sure that the system is secure from fraud.
Evidence needed to support your claim
When will my benefit start?
Your benefit will usually start:
- From the Monday after we receive your form
- Or after you first contacted us asking to claim. You must get your completed form to us within a month of contacting us
If you delay, you may get less benefit. If you think you might be entitled, make a claim as soon as possible so you don't lose out.
Backdating
Sometimes we can pay benefit from an earlier date if there is a continuous good reason why you did not claim from that date.
More about backdating
How we pay your Benefit
We pay council tax benefit straight into your Council Tax account. We will send you an amended bill showing your benefit, how much council tax is left to pay, and how much your new payments are.
Excess (or overpaid) Council Tax Benefit
If you are paid too much Council Tax Benefit (CTB), it is called Excess Benefit. If Excess Benefit occurs, we will write and tell you. The letter will explain:
- why we gave you too much benefit
- how much the amount of excess benefit is
- if you have to pay back the amount
- how you can appeal if you think this is wrong
In most cases, this will change the amount of Council Tax you have to pay. If so, we will send you a revised Council Tax bill showing your new payments.
Not enough benefit
If you do not agree with our decision, for example if you think you are entitled to benefit and we have said you are not, or if you think you should get more benefit because we have made a mistake, you can:
- ask for an explanation of how we made our decision or calculated your benefit or
- ask us to look at our decision again or
- you can appeal.
More about how to appeal
If you think we have calculated your benefit correctly, but you need more help with your council tax costs you can apply for a discretionary housing payment.
More about Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP)
Civil partnerships and same sex couples
The Civil Partnership Act gives legal recognition to same sex couples.
For Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit purposes, this means that same sex couples who are living together in a Civil Partnership, or who are living together as if they were in a Civil Partnership, must now claim these benefits jointly. We will assess your claim based on your joint income and circumstances.
If this applies to your claim, please complete all the details for you and your partner on these forms. In addition, if you get Council Tax Benefit but then start living with someone as a couple at a later date, you must tell us about the change.
