Council Tax Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Council Tax Benefit is a Government benefit to help with your Council Tax bill. The Revenues & Benefits Service administers the benefit for people who are liable for Council Tax in Leicester.
Who can claim?
Anyone who is liable for Council Tax may be able to claim Council Tax Benefit. You cannot normally get Council Tax Benefit if you, together with your partner if you have one, have savings of more than £16,000. You can claim even if:
Council Tax Benefit is a Government benefit to help with your Council Tax bill. The Revenues & Benefits Service administers the benefit for people who are liable for Council Tax in Leicester.
Who can claim?
Anyone who is liable for Council Tax may be able to claim Council Tax Benefit. You cannot normally get Council Tax Benefit if you, together with your partner if you have one, have savings of more than £16,000. You can claim even if:
- You are working
- You do not receive any other benefits
- You receive a discount on your Council Tax charge
- You do not pay national insurance contributions
- You live in a property you own or are buying
- You rent your home from the Council, a housing association or a private landlord.
In certain circumstances someone else may be liable to pay the Council Tax for your home. This is usual in properties that are occupied by more than one household, with shared facilities such as cooking and washing, and where the tenants pay their rent separately to the landlord for the part of their home that they occupy.
This type of property is called bed-sits or a house in multiple occupation. In these cases the landlord needs to pay the Council Tax for the whole property
How much benefit will I be paid?
Your Council Tax Benefit is worked out by seeing how much Council Tax you have to pay and looking at the total income of you and your partner if you have one.
We also look at any capital that you and your partner may have, and personal circumstances like the ages and size of your family, whether anyone in your family is disabled, and whether there are any other adults in the household who could help with the Council Tax.
Second Adult Rebate
Second Adult Rebate is an alternative to Council Tax Benefit for people who share their home with someone else who is not their partner, and who is in receipt of Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance (income based), or is on a low income.
You will be able to claim Second Adult Rebate if you can answer yes to all of the following questions – is the person who shares your home:
- Aged 18 or over?
- Not your partner?
- Not paying you rent?
- Not a joint tenant with you?
- Not liable to pay Council Tax themselves?
The maximum Second Adult Rebate payable is 25%. It is based on the income of the person who shares your home. Your income and savings will not have an effect on Second Adult Rebate.
If you make a claim for Council Tax Benefit and / or Second Adult Rebate, Second Adult Rebate will only be awarded if you do not qualify for Council Tax Benefit, or if the award of Second Adult Rebate would be higher than the amount of Council Tax Benefit you may receive. This is called the “better buy” calculation.
Any award of either Council Tax Benefit or Second Adult Rebate is paid directly on to your Council Tax account to reduce the amount you have left to pay. No money changes hands.
Where can I get a Benefit Application Form?
You can click here to get an application form, or you can contact the Revenues and Benefits section directly - click here for Contact Details.
If you need general information on claiming Council Tax Benefit in languages other than English please visit