Welcome To Wirral

What is Council Tax Benefit?

It is to help those people who are personally liable for the Council Tax to meet the cost of the Council Tax.

How to Claim?

If you want to claim help with paying your Council Tax bill, complete an application form. If you have a partner they do not need to complete a separate form.

How much Benefit can I claim?

Benefit can be granted for up to 100% of your Council Tax bill less:

• Any discounts you may be awarded
• Any transitional relief you are entitled to
• Any deductions we make for other adults living with you. These people are called non-dependants (see section on Non-Dependant Deductions)

If you have capital over £16,000 you will not be entitled to Council Tax or Housing Benefit. However, if you are in receipt of Pension Credit (guarantee credit) you can get Council Tax or Housing Benefit. Some capital, including all capital under £3,000 is disregarded, and £6,000 for a claimant where either the claimant or partner are aged 60 or over.

How will my Benefit be paid?

Any Council Tax Benefit will be paid directly into your Council Tax account and you will receive a reduced bill.

What information will I have to provide?

You will have to provide original documents of the following:-

• Proof of ID for you and your partner.
• Proof of National Insurance number for you and your partner.
• Full details of all income you and your partner receive.
• Name, date of birth and income details of others living in the household plus their National Insurance Numbers.
• Details of savings and investments you and your partner may have.

How is my Benefit calculated?

If you are in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based) JSA (IB) or Income Support or an equivalent low level of income you may be entitled to 100% rebate off your Council Tax bill.

If you are not in receipt of JSA (IB) your benefit is calculated by comparing your total net weekly income with your applicable amount (the national amount set by Central Government). If your income is less than or equal to your applicable amount you will be granted the full amount of rebate less any non-dependant deductions (see Applicable Amounts below).

If your income is more than your applicable amount then your rebate will be reduced by 20p for each £1.00 that your income exceeds your applicable amount and by any non-dependant deductions.

What Income is taken into account?

All income is net of Tax, National Insurance and half your pension contributions. Before we arrive at the final figure for calculating whether you are entitled to benefit, we disregard from your earnings the following amounts:-

Single Claimants	£5.00
Couples	£10.00
Disabled Claimants and Carers	£20.00
Lone Parents	£25.00

In addition there is an earnings disregard if working over 16/30 hours of £14.90.

Certain items of income, although they need to be declared, are not taken into account in the calculation of your benefit:

• Disability Living Allowance (care and mobility components)
• Attendance Allowance
• War Widows Pensions
• War Disablement Pension

Childcare Costs

If you pay childcare costs up to £175.00 of your income may be ignored if you are paying for a registered childminder or nursery care whilst working and a maximum of £300.00 for families with two or more children.

Applicable Amounts

Personal Allowances April 2007

Age/Status	Single	Couple	Single Parent
Under 18		£92.80*	£46.85
18 or over		£92.80	£59.15
Under 25	£46.85
25 or over	£59.15
Polygamous Partner	£33.65

Dependants Allowances from April 2007

Age/Status	Capital over £3,000	Basic
0-16*	Nil	£47.45
16-18	Nil	£47.45

*Rates apply from birth until first Monday in September following their 16th birthday.

Premiums

Premium/Status	Basic	Single	Couple
Family	£16.43
- With one or more child(ren) aged under one year	£26.93
Family (Lone Parent Rate)	£22.20
- With one or more child(ren) aged under one year	£32.70
Pensioner 60-74		£59.90	£88.90
Enhanced Pensioner 75-79		£59.90	£88.90
Higher Pensioner 80+ or Higher Pensioner 60+ and Disabled		£59.90	£88.90
Disability		£25.25	£36.00
Enhanced Disability		£12.30	£17.75
Enhanced Disability (Child)	£18.76
Severe Disability		£48.45	£96.90
Couple, only 1 qualifies	£48.45
Disabled Child	£46.69
Carer		£27.15	£54.30
Couple, only 1 qualifies	£27.15
Bereavement	£26.80

Non-Dependant Deductions

The following non-dependant deductions are made for other adults aged 18 or over and in remunerative work who live with you. There are five levels of deduction based upon the gross income of the non-dependant:

£2.30 per week - for those who have gross income of less than £164.00 per week

£4.60 per week - for those who have gross income of £164.00 - £282.99 per week

£5.80 per week - for those who have gross income of £283.00 - £352.99 per week

£6.95 per week - for those who have gross income of £353.00 or more

£2.30 per week - for all others, aged 18 or over

Nil - On Income Support/Jobseekers Allowance (IB) or non-dependants who are getting Pension Credits.

What if my circumstances change?

If there is a change in your income or household circumstances you must notify the Director of Finance in writing immediately or you may lose benefit. You can do this by letter or you can visit your nearest One Stop Shop or by e-mail at housingbenefits@wirral.gov.uk If the change gives you more benefit, but you did not tell us within a month of it happening, your benefit will change from the Monday following the date you told us. You can download a change in circumstances form.  See Change of Circumstances form in the related links section. Details can be found at Council Offices in the related links section.

When does my claim start from?

Usually when you become liable for Council Tax your benefit will be awarded from the day your liability began. Your claim must be received within that week or within one month, if you or your partner is in receipt of either Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based) or Income Support. In other cases benefit will be awarded from the Monday after you first asked to claim provided your claim form is received by the Benefits Office within one month of that date. However, if you are a pensioner, your claim may be treated as being made earlier, up to a maximum of 52 weeks.

Do I need to submit another form to claim Housing Benefit?

No. You need to complete one application form to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

What if I disagree with my entitlement?

If you disagree you should notify the Director of Finance in writing.

You have one month from the receipt of the notification to appeal. Further details of rights of appeal are shown in  Appealing in the related links section.

What is Second Adult Rebate?

Second Adult Rebate is help towards your Council Tax bill if you are responsible for paying Council Tax and you have a partner who is discounted for Council Tax purposes or you have other adults living with you who receive a low income.

Second Adult Rebate is based upon the income of the people who live with you. It is not based upon your income.

For more information see Second Adult Rebate.

How do I claim?

Application forms are available at any of the One Stop Shops, Libraries and the Finance Department. See Council Offices in the related links section.  You can also try our on line Web Benefits Calculator to see if you can get any help.

Send completed forms to:-

Director of Finance
P.O. Box 2
Cleveland Street
Birkenhead
Wirral
Merseyside
CH41 6BU

ALL INFORMATION IS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

What if I have a query?

You can telephone 0151 606 2002 or you can call in person at any of the One Stop Shops shown at Council Offices in the related links section.

General information and advice is also available from Welfare Benefits and Citizens Advice Bureau. See Benefits Advice in the related links section.