Pensionable age claimants Council Tax reduction Scheme
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About Council Tax Reduction Scheme
The Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) replaced council tax benefit. The Government has protected the entitlement of pensioners, whose maximum entitlement to CTRS is 100% of the 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.
How CTRS is worked out
Pensioners can also claim Second Adult Rebate. If you qualify for both Second Adult Rebate and Council Tax Reduction Scheme, we will give you the one which will reduce your council tax the most.
Council Tax Reduction Scheme for pensioners will be assessed in accordance with the Council Tax Reduction (Prescribed Requirement) (England) Regulations 2012 and any amendments of the said regulations
Government rules say that if you are a pensioner (and your partner if you are a couple) have savings or capital of more than £16,000, you cannot get Council Tax Reduction Scheme (unless you are in receipt of pension credit guarantee). If you have £10,000 or less, it will not affect your claim. If you have between £10,000 and £16,000, it affects how much Council Tax Reduction Scheme you will get. For every £500 (or part of £500) you have over £10,000 we add £1.00 to the money we count each week when working out your Council Tax Reduction Scheme. A partner is someone you are married to, or someone you live with as if you are married to them
If you are a pensioner and you think your benefit should start earlier, please include this on your application. Please write the date you think your discount should start and the reason why you did not claim earlier. If you get CTRS from an earlier date, it is called backdating. Your CTRS can be backdated by up to 3 months for pensionable age if you have a good reason for not claiming earlier dependant on your circumstances.
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. A full copy of the CTRS policy is available on request by emailing customer services.