Council Tax Reduction
Who can apply for Council Tax Reduction
Council Tax Reduction reduces how much council tax a low-income household has to pay. You may be eligible for Council Tax Reduction if you:
- are responsible for the Council Tax Bill for your home
- have a low income
- have savings of less than £16,000*
*You may still qualify for Council Tax Reduction with savings over £16,000 if your receive Guaranteed Pension Credit.
How to claim
To apply for Council Tax Reduction, please click the button below which will redirect you to our online application. Please note that if you are eligible to claim Housing Benefit, this application can be used to apply for both.
If you experience any difficulties in making your application or require assistance, please contact a member of the team by calling 0300 123 0900 and asking for Benefit Services.
*Please note that if you are self-employed, and not in receipt of Universal Credit, we may require you to complete an additional form found here:
It will be used to gather details of your business, income and expenditure. If this is required, a member of the team will be in touch.
What you'll get
You may get help with all or part of your Council Tax, but this excludes the water and sewerage charges. Your entitlement will depend upon
- your household income - including benefits, pensions, wages and savings
- the age, disabilities or caring responsibilities of the people in your household
For an estimate of what you could be entitled to, there are independent, free and anonymous benefit calculators available online, such as the examples below. Please note that any result you receive from these calculators are dependent on the accuracy of the information you supply and should be taken as a guide only.
Second Adult Rebate
You might be able to reduce your council tax bill if you live with other adults but you are the only one responsible for paying council tax. This relief is called 'Second Adult Rebate'. A second adult is someone who:
- is not your partner
- is not a joint tenant or joint owner of your home
- is at least 18 years old
- doesn't pay you rent
- is on a low income
You are not able to claim Council Tax Reduction AND Second Adult Rebate at the same time. When you apply, we will award the highest of the two reductions. To make an application, please click on the "Claim Council Tax Reduction" button above.
Band E-H Relief
You can apply for relief from the increased charges which were introduced for properties in band E, F G and H on 1 April 2017. You may be entitled if your savings/capital is less than £16,000 and your average net income is less than:
- £321 per week (For single people with no children)
- £479 per week (for all other households)
You are not able to claim Council Tax Reduction AND Band E-H Relief at the same time. When you apply, we will award the highest of the two reductions. To make an application, please click on the "Claim Council Tax Reduction" button above.
Report a Change in Circumstances
You need to report all changes of circumstances for you and anyone else in your house. Your claim might be stopped or reduced if you do not report a change of circumstances straight away. Changes can include:
- starting or stopping work, education, training or an apprenticeship
- changes to the benefits you or anyone else in your house gets
- changes to your personal or workplace pension
- changes to your savings, investments or property
- your income going up or down
- moving house
- going abroad for any length of time
- going into hospital, a care home or sheltered accommodation
- people moving into or out of your house (for example your partner, a child or lodger)
- having a baby
- your child turning 18
- changes to your immigration status, if you're not a British citizen
To report a change in your circumstances, please contact a member of the team by calling 0300 123 0900 and ask for Benefit Services for further advice. We can also be contacted by email: Benefit.Services@south-ayrshire.gov.uk
Submitting Evidence
We will, wherever possible, try to obtain the information we require from the resources we have available to us. However, you may be asked to provide some documentary evidence when making your application or while reporting a change in your circumstances.
To ensure safe delivery of the requested evidence, please use our Evidence Upload Form by clicking the button below:
If for whatever reason you are unable to do this, evidence can also be submitted by email to Benefit.services@south-ayrshire.gov.uk or posted to Benefit Services, PO Box 31, County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr, KA7 1DR.
What to do if you disagree with our decision
If you think a decision is wrong, you can ask us to explain or review it. You must ask us within two months of the date you were notified of our decision and explain what you think is wrong.
After looking at our decision again, we will write to you to let you know whether we think the decision is correct or whether we have changed it.
If you remain dissatisfied after receiving a decision on your review request, you can seek an independent ruling from the Local Taxation Chamber. A ruling by the Local Taxation Chamber should only be requested after we have carried out an internal review. The only exception to this would be if you had not received a written response from us within 2 months of requesting a review.
Applications should be made directly by you or your representative in writing to:
Local Taxation Chamber
Bothwell House
First Floor
Hamilton Business Park
Caird Park
Hamilton ML3 0QA
The Local Taxation Chamber can also be contacted by phone on 01698 390012 and by e-mail to:
LTCAdmin@scotcourtstribunals.gov.uk
Where to get more information
If you are unable to find the information you are looking for online please contact benefits team for further advice on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.
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