Council Tax Reduction eligibility 2024/2025

Council Tax Reduction is to help people who are on a low income to pay part or all of their Council Tax.  

The amount of reduction you get depends on your status and how much Council Tax you pay. You can use our Council Tax Support calculator for an estimate. 

You have to apply to us for Council Tax Reduction, you do not receive it automatically.

Who qualifies for a reduction

To qualify for Council Tax Reduction, you must be:  

  • On a low income 
  • Responsible for the Council Tax payment on your address 

You can claim Council Tax Reduction whether you are working, unemployed, disabled, single, married etc. However, there may be some exceptions to this, for example:  

  • You have come to live in the UK from abroad and have restrictions on your status 
  • You are a full-time student 
  • You live in residential care or nursing home 
  • You are working age in receipt of income and have savings over £6,000 
  • You are working age with no earned income and have savings over £16,000
  • You are pensioner age and have savings over £16,000
  • You are working age, and your income is above the earned income caps

New schemes

The government requires us to protect the claiming process for pension age claimants so there are two Council Tax Reduction schemes in place: 

  1. The prescribed scheme for pensioners 
  2. Our local Council Tax Reduction scheme for working age claimants

Local scheme 2024/2025

We have changed our Council Tax scheme for 2024. View details of last year's scheme.

Under the 2024/2025 Wandsworth scheme, working age households will be designated to one of the five eligibility levels based on specific criteria, utilising status and a maximum income figure. 

The status bands are as follows: 

Working Age Scheme 1

Eligible Council Tax Reduction is 100% of the amount an applicant is liable to pay.

The applicant and/or any partner are receiving any level or component of: 

  • Disability Living allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • Attendance Payment  
  • Carer’s Allowance  

Or the household is: 

  • Within the ‘support group’ for Employment Support Allowance 
  • Entitled to the Universal Credit Limited Capability for work and related activity  
  • Receives a Disability Banding reduction from Council Tax 
  • Receives either a war Disablement Pension or War widows Pension (either claimant or partner) 
  • Contains a dependent child aged under 3 years old and claimant and or partner have no earned income 

Working Age Scheme 2

Eligible Council Tax Reduction is 90% 

The applicant and any partner have one or more dependent children in the household, and are receiving  either: 

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Universal Credit and the applicant, and any partner are not in work
  • Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance and applicant, and any partner are not in work 

Working Age Scheme 3

Eligible Council Tax Reduction is 75% 

The applicant and any partner have no dependent children in the household and are receiving either: 

  • Income support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Universal Credit and the applicant, and any partner are not in work
  • Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance and applicant, and any partner are not in work 

Working Age Scheme 4

Eligible Council Tax Reduction is 80% 

The applicant and any partner have one or more dependent children in the household and the household is made up of either: 

  • Lone parent with 1 or 2 children with net earnings of less than £250  per week 
  • Lone parent with 3+ children with net earnings of less than £275  per week 
  • Applicant and partner with 1 or 2 children and have combined net earnings of less than £250 per week 
  • Applicant and partner with 3+ children and have combined net earnings of less than £275 per week 

Or 

The applicant and any partner are not in work and are not receiving either: 

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Contribution-based related Employment and Support Allowance, or
  • Universal Credit

And our view is that the claimant or partner would be entitled to an income above were a claim to be made.

Working Age Scheme 5

Eligible Council Tax Reduction is 75% 

The applicant and any partner have no dependent children in the household and the household is made up of either: 

  • Single person with net earnings of less than £125 per week  
  • Couple without dependent children and have a combined net earnings of less than £160 per week 

 Or

The applicant and any partner are not in work and are not receiving either: 

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, or 
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Contribution-based related Employment and Support Allowance, or
  • Universal Credit

And our view is that the claimant or partner would be entitled to an income above were a claim to be made.

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Up to Council Tax Reduction

Updated: 13/08/2024