Problems paying your Council Tax

Council Tax discretionary hardship relief is administered by Wirral Council. One off payments are applied to your Council Tax account to reduce the amount of Council Tax payable.

A successful application does not guarantee that a further award will be made at a later date, even if your circumstances have not changed.

Who can get Council Tax Discretionary Hardship Relief?

Payments will only be made if we consider your circumstances to be short term and sufficiently exceptional when compared to others in a similar position.

Each application is assessed individually and each award is entirely discretionary. Both your finances and personal circumstances are taken into account.

Payments are for short term assistance only and are not a way of reducing your Council Tax indefinitely.

When can't we make a Council Tax Discretionary Hardship Relief payment?

You can't get this extra help:

• where there are already non-dependant deductions
• where there is a shortfall in Council Tax Reduction Scheme due to a DWP sanction or suspension
• to cover charges relating to an empty home that are normally rented on a commercial basis
• to cover a Council Tax recoverable overpayment

Apply for Council Tax Discretionary Hardship Relief

The rules for Discretionary Hardship Relief are set out in the policy on the following page.