Working age claimants Council Tax Reduction Scheme
Straight to
Make a claim
Please ensure you have checked documents you will need as proof before you begin.
About
The Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) replaced Council Tax Benefit. It is available to help those who are on a low income, either employed or self employed, in receipt of benefits such as Income Support; Jobseekers Allowance; Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit and need assistance with paying their council tax.
CTRS is an income banded discount and is worked out differently for people who are of working age and pensioners.
The maximum amount of help you will get is 90% of your bill. It doesn’t matter if you own your home or rent it.
CTRS can be awarded on top of any discounts or exemptions, for example a single person discount and the scheme looks at the net weekly income.
| Discount level band | Discount level percentage | Singles (weekly net income level) |
Couples (weekly net income level) |
Lone parent with 1 child | Lone parent with 2 (or more) children |
Couples with |
Couples with 2 (or more) children (weekly net income level) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Band 1 |
90% |
£0 - £97.99 |
£0 - £144.99 |
£0 - £199.99 |
£0 - £269.99 |
£0 - £269.99 |
£0 - £309.99 |
|
Band 2 |
70% |
£98 - £127.99 |
£145 - £177.99 |
£200 - £249.99 |
£270 - £304.99 |
£227 - £281.99 |
£310 - £335.49 |
|
Band 3 |
50% |
£128 - £157.99 |
£178 - £210.99 |
£250 - £274.99 |
£305 - £334.99 |
£282 - £309.99 |
£349 - £381.99 |
|
Band 4 |
30% |
£158 - £187.99 |
£211 - £244.99 |
£275 - £299.99 |
£335 - £364.99 |
£310 - £336.99 |
£382 - £414.99 |
Additional children (beyond 2) do not affect your claim.
How CTRS is worked out
We count the money you earn from work after money has been taken out for tax and National Insurance and half of any money you pay into a pension fund. We also count any other money you have coming in. This includes most state benefits, works pensions and income from savings or capital you may have.
We do not count:
- some disability benefits
- war pensions
- War Disablement Pension
- Child Benefit
- child maintenance
We need to know if you get any of these, as you may get more CTRS.
You cannot get Council Tax Reduction Scheme if you, or you and your partner between you, have more than £6,000 in savings. A partner is someone you are married to, or someone you live with as if you are married to them.
This information is for guidance only. It does not cover all the rules for all the benefits for every situation, nor does it provide a full interpretation of the rules. It should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.
Downloads
If you can't complete the form online, you can complete the form with an advisor at the Hub.
Download Certificate of Earned Income form.