Council Tax Reduction (sometimes known elsewhere as Council Tax Support) helps residents on low incomes who are struggling to pay their Council Tax.
If you qualify, we reduce your bill by crediting your Council Tax account and issuing a new bill showing the reduced amount.
Depending on your situation, your bill can be reduced by up to 100%.
How much help you could get
- Use our Benefit Calculator to estimate how much Council Tax Reduction you could be entitled to.
- Depending on your circumstances you might receive Council Tax Reduction automatically. See below for more information about if and how you need to make a claim.
Who our schemes cover
Pension age claimants
All pensioners are assessed using the national, prescribed Council Tax Reduction scheme. All local authorities must apply this scheme (we cannot change it).
This scheme looks at all the income and savings in your household and reduces the Council Tax you need to pay based on a sliding scale.
Working age: Universal Credit claimants
If you have claimed Universal Credit, you do not usually need to do a separate Council Tax Reduction claim. When you tell DWP you want help with Council Tax, they send us your details automatically. Please contact us if you haven’t heard from us and it has been more than six weeks since you applied for Universal Credit.
If you are working age and receive Universal Credit, we use a banded Universal Credit scheme. Your reduction is calculated from a simple income band table using the earned income the Department for Work and Pensions [DWP] shares with us, so small monthly changes usually don’t trigger a new bill.
Working age: not on Universal Credit
Cambridge has kept a separate local working age scheme for residents who, for any reason, are not claiming Universal Credit. This scheme works similarly to the scheme for pension-age claimants.
How to claim
Make a claim using our online form.
- If you have claimed Universal Credit: you usually don’t need to do a separate Council Tax Reduction claim. When you tell DWP you want help with Council Tax, they send us your details automatically. Please contact us if you haven’t heard from us and it has been more than six weeks since you applied for Universal Credit.
- If you have not claimed Universal Credit: go to Make a benefit claim and choose Council Tax Reduction
- You’ll need details of your income and savings.
- Submit the form within 14 days or it will be deleted.
- We’ll contact you within three working days if we need more information.
Need help claiming?
Contact us using the methods listed at the bottom of this page.
Who can get Council Tax Reduction (and key limits)
Council Tax Reduction is means tested. What you get depends on income, savings, household circumstances and who else lives with you (non-dependants).
- Savings: You are not eligible if you have over £16,000 in savings, unless you get Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit).
- Non-dependants: Adults other than your partner who live with you may reduce the amount of Council Tax Reduction you can get. The exact amounts depend on which Council Tax Reduction scheme you qualify for:
|
Circumstance |
Working age (claiming Universal Credit) |
Working age (no Universal Credit) |
Pensioners |
|
Non-dependants receiving Income Support, income-based JSA or Pension Credit |
No reduction |
No reduction |
No reduction |
|
Non-dependants in remunerative work with gross weekly income of less than £266 |
£8.05 |
£5.35 |
£5 |
|
Non-dependants in remunerative work with gross weekly income from £266 to £462.99 |
£8.05 |
£10.70 |
£10.20 |
|
Non-dependants in remunerative work with gross weekly income from £463 to £576.99 |
£8.05 |
£13.50 |
£12.80 |
|
Non-dependants in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £577 or over |
£8.05 |
£16.10 |
£15.35 |
|
Non-dependants aged 18 or over and not in remunerative work |
£8.05 |
£5.35 |
£5 |
Universal Credit scheme income bands
If you are claiming Universal Credit, the amount you need to contribute towards your Council Tax bill depends on the earned income of you and your partner (see the table below), plus any non-dependant deductions.
|
Weekly earned income |
Weekly contribution towards Council Tax liability |
|
Less than £92.04, including not in work |
£0 |
|
Between £92.05 and £167.29 |
£7.20 |
|
Between £167.30 and £250.99 |
£14.35 |
|
Between £251 and £334.69 |
£21.45 |
|
Between £334.70 and £418.39 |
Up to £35.70 |
|
Between £418.40 and £785.64 |
Up to £50 |
|
£785.65 or more |
Full Council Tax payable |
Second adult rebate (pensioners only)
If you are a single pensioner who is not entitled to standard Council Tax Reduction, you might be entitled to up to 25% off your bill if you live with another adult who is:
- on a low income
- aged 18 or over
- not your partner or civil partner
- not paying you rent
- not paying Council Tax themselves
After you claim
- We credit your Council Tax account and send you a new bill showing the reduced amount due. Council Tax Reduction does not affect your entitlement to other benefits.
- If you would like further information about how your Council Tax Reduction entitlement has been calculated, contact us using the methods listed at the bottom of this page.
- If you claimed via Universal Credit and said you wanted help with Council Tax, you do not need to make a separate Council Tax Reduction application. Contact us if you haven’t heard from us and it has been more than six weeks since you applied for Universal Credit.
Changes and appeals
- Changes: You must tell us promptly about changes (income, household, address). The Council Tax system recalculates liability daily and we will rebill if needed.
- Appeals: If you are unhappy with a Council Tax Reduction decision, write to us explaining why.
Other help with your Council Tax
- You can switch to 12 monthly instalments to spread the cost; discounts (for example, Single Person Discount) and discretionary help may be available if you’re still struggling:
- You can find lots of information about other types of financial support (both those offered by Cambridge City Council and elsewhere) here:
