can you get council tax reduction or the £200

building

the government talked about if you are 65 but are still working? what do you need to do?

Milarky

At last! found some hard info here:

http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ben2.htm

From September 2005, there will be a one off £200 council tax 'refund' for households if you are over 65 and not in receipt of Pension Credit guarantee credit. This will be given to you at the same time as your Winter Fuel Payment. If you are on Pension Credit guarantee credit you will receive £50 if you are aged 70 or over.

From which it seems they won't be checking if you actually pay council tax [what happened last year] and the payment is a 'hypothecated' council tax reduction [still 'real money' though!]This really does show the Chancellor - and future Prime Minister - for the fiscal reprobate that he is...

EDIT: Anyone on the Pension Credit guarantee credit is on the equivalent of Income Support - which means that don't pay any council tax anyway - hence the £50 can't genuinely be to reduce their council tax - it's a redistributive payment. [Nothing wrong with that, of course.]

Sorry, to answer your question: "what do you do?", you need to claim the winter fuel payment by the appropriate mechanism. The age of 65 would need to have been reached by the applicable date - which I think is 7th Sept or thereabouts. [Are you old enough to qualify?]

So, if you are 65 on the requisite date, I'd guess they'll just send you a cheque come December for £400. If you are already receiving the winter fuel payments [as a 60-65 year old] then you don't need to do anything more.

HTH

building

will look into this tomorrow.

Milarky wrote:

At last! found some hard info here:

http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ben2.htm

From which it seems they won't be checking if you actually pay council tax [what happened last year] and the payment is a 'hypothecated' council tax reduction [still 'real money' though!]This really does show the Chancellor - and future Prime Minister - for the fiscal reprobate that he is...

Sorry, to answer your question: "what do you do?", you need to claim the winter fuel payment by the appropriate mechanism. The age of 65 would need to have been reached by the applicable date - which I think is 7th Sept or thereabouts. [Are you old enough to qualify?]

So, if you are 65 on the requisite date, I'd guess they'll just send you a cheque come December for £400. If you are already receiving the winter fuel payments [as a 60-65 year old] then you don't need to do anything more.

HTH

margaretclare

Or if there are 2 of you i.e. mum and dad, and if they qualify already, then mum and dad will get £200 each.

They won't necessarily 'send you a cheque' - if your dad is receiving state retirement pension into his bank account (which most people now are) then the money will arrive plop into the account the same way. About mid-November, I think.

Aunty Margaret

Maisie

Last year 2 people I know got the £400 . Neither pay any council tax.
When one of them phoned about receiving it she was told to keep it!