Council Tax Benefit Question Now

nilla

Thank goodness I found this site!

Got a letter today from council saying now hubby gets guaranteed pension credit we dont have to pay council tax, they enclosed all the workings out and a new biull which states I am £281 in credit then it says that the attached council tax bill shows the balance to be paid but its in credit?? Then it says any benefit will be paid onto my council tax account

So if we wont be paying council tax what happens to the £281 in credit?

AnxiousMum

You write to them and ask for a refund of the credit balance.

nilla

Ok thanks I will do :-)

always_skint

I am on guaranteed pension credit and finished up being in credit with CT when I qualified in Dec last year, they duly sent me a cheque for £126.
Same with the rent, I got a refund of £213 in cash from the council rent office cash desk also due to being in credit.

nilla

I rang today and they actually owe me £401 so are sending a cheque, then I got a letter from housing benefit and getting a refund from them! Cant understand it

HappyMJ

nilla wrote: »

I rang today and they actually owe me £401 so are sending a cheque, then I got a letter from housing benefit and getting a refund from them! Cant understand it

It's right. Feb and Mar are "free" months but in reality you've already paid for them during the past 10 months. You may have paid in Dec and Jan totalling an extra £281 when you didn't need to so you should get 4 months of CT back which should be around £400. It's confusing and I don't think I've explained it well but it's right so don't worry.

nilla

Ah I see now, thanks :-)

I must admit it very welcome money back

nilla

Well no money has arrived I thought it was too good to be true!

suelees1

It sounds like you have been entitled to full housing and council tax benefit for some time so have been underpaid both benefits. You will get this reimbursed by a cheque from council tax dept.

It sounds like you rent your property so it's similar with your housing benefit. If your HB has been paid directly to your landlord then you also need to ask them to repay you.

elmer

Refunds with us usually take two to three weeks as senior officers have to approve refunds in councils.

In addition at this time of year our collection levels for the year are reported to the government, so we suspend refunds until the reporting day has passed. This is usually a delay of about a fortnight in addition to the two or three weeks the process takes.

So please hold on, I am sure that your refund will appear, if not give them another ring and see if it can be issued asap.

Elmer

nilla

Thanks Elmer, I will see what the post brings tomorrow and then ring if nothing, the girl when I rang last Monday said yes we owe you money, then said I have issued the cheque and it will be with you in a few days.
Our postman is a bit odd he runs about mumbling to himself and we are always getting others mail an they get ours, might be a good idea to ring incase he put the cheque in the wrong letterbox and they havent passed it to us