If you’re on a low income, in receipt of certain benefits, or a pensioner, you might be able to get help with your Council Tax bill.

A good starting place is our online benefits calculator and you can also find details of the main Council Tax support schemes below.

Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme

Working age claimants

If you are of working age and on a low income, including Universal Credit, you might qualify for a reduction in your Council Tax bill under the local Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

You could get up to 75% off your annual bill and any award will be deducted automatically to reduce your monthly payments.

Pension age

If you’re of State Pension age you might be able to get help with some, or all, of your council tax bill. This depends on any income and savings you might have.

Second adult rebate: 

This is a form of Council Tax reduction available to people of State Pension age with a second adult living in their property, who is not their partner, calculated on the second adult's income (who must be aged at least 18 and not paying rent to the person liable for Council Tax). Capital must be under £16,000 (If you receive Pension Credit Guarantee, your capital can be more than £16,000). Claims can be backdated if there is a valid reason why you were unable to apply for Housing Benefit/Council Tax reduction earlier.

Apply for local Council Tax reduction

Find out more about how this benefit is applied in our local Council Tax Reduction Scheme policy.

Council Tax Support Fund

Tamworth Borough Council has received a £131,563 share of the government’s Council Tax Support Fund to help support the most vulnerable households in England in 2023 to 2024.

The majority of funding is intended to further reduce bills for current working age and pension age households already in receipt of Council Tax reduction, by up to £25, where they have a Council Tax bill to pay. We are also able to use any remaining funds to support vulnerable households with Council Tax bills via our own locally agreed discretionary scheme.

The Council Tax support award is automatically applied to eligible households and appears on your Council Tax bill for 2023/24 under ‘Local Council Tax Discount’.

More information on how these funds are applied is detailed in our Council Tax Support Fund Policy 2023-24.

Council Tax discretionary payment

If you’re struggling to pay your Council Tax, you might also be able to apply for a discretionary award to help bring your bill down for a short period.

Anyone can apply in times of hardship, but the amount of money available is limited. Whether you’re successful in your application will depend on your circumstances.

Apply for Council Tax discretionary payment 

Other Council Tax discounts and exemptions

Even if you aren’t eligible for other benefits, you may be entitled to a discount or exemption on your Council Tax for other reasons, for example if you live alone, or members of your household are disabled, low paid care workers, suffer with a severe mental impairment, are being looked after in a hospital or care home.

Or your property might be exempt for another reason.

Visit these webpages for a full list of discounts and exemptions.

If you’re in financial difficulty, you might also be able to get help with your housing costs or Universal Credit.

Contact us

Call 01827 709540 to speak to a customer services advisor, use the web chat function, or email the benefits team directly at benefits@tamworth.gov.uk.