Council Tax Benefit and Rebate

You have to show 'good cause' for not applying earlier. Unfortunately they do not consider ignorance of the benefits system to be good cause on it's own. That said, you can use that if combined with mitigating circumstances such as health. You say that he has severe depression he could ask for a reconsideration stating that his illness contributed to his inability to explore the benefits system fully, if he's under a CMHT they could verify the symptoms of his illness. Usually with severe depressive illnesses most people have little interest or ability to manage much of their day to day affairs. If they say that if this is the case then he should have had an appointee then it's wrong and irrelevant to the facts. Unless he does have an appointee, then they have to show good cause. Try it.


The following guidance comes from the “Department for Work and Pensions Housing and Council Tax Benefit guidance Manual”.

Meaning of good cause

2A.00 Good cause

• is not defined in legislation a number of Commissioner’s decisions deal with it
• includes any facts that would probably have caused a reasonable person to act as a claimant did, for example:
- The claimants age, health, background and knowledge of the Social Security (SS) system
- Information the claimant
~ had received or
~ could have obtained

2A.01 It is for the claimant to show good cause unless there is an appointee. The claimant’s explanation for the delay in claiming should be considered in the light of all the facts and circumstances.