Council Tax - how to split in a shared house if 1 person gets Council Tax reduction?

pennyhale

CIS wrote: »

So he's in receipt of council tax support (prev council tax benefit) which means that , unless there's fraud, the claim is joint with his partner and the council tax support is paid for both of them (not just one of them)

OK, so I didn't realise that both of them receive a discount.

Can you put it in a really simple sum, indicating how much everyone should pay? Because I still can't get my head around the fact that he pays zero.

And everyone else I have asked is completely stumped by this too.
Thanks!

toomuchinfo

In the morning light I've revised my opinion about the sums involved

The couple still share the discount as they are assessed as a couple by the council so they are the only ones who pay less because of the discount, everyone else pays the same as they would have if the discount didn't exist

£2000/5 = £400

Couples share = £800 - £500 leaves them (or one of them) £300 to pay

Everyone else pays £400 as before

therefore 3 x 400 = 1200 + 300 = 1500

thorsoak

I think you are confusing council tax with poll tax (when every member of the household was individually taxed).

My understanding is that you will not normally be able to claim a Council Tax discount if two or more adults (18 and over) live in your home. However, certain people are not counted; they are disregarded when councils work out how many people live in a property.

For example if two adults live in a property and one is a student and they meet the criteria then the student will be disregarded and a 25% discount given whilst they remain a student. However if both meet the criteria as full time students then the property is exempt from Council Tax.

Therefore, only one 25% discount applies in this instance - so it is the student's entitlement which applies only to the student. The other four residents each pay 25% of the council tax figure demanded by the council. They are in fact benefitting from the student being in the house! If s/he leaves the property, then the other residents will have to pay the full council tax. It is on the property - not on the occupants.

pennyhale

OK this is making more sense now.

There is an added layer of complication though as the person claiming the discount may have been claiming based on a household of 4 people and not 5, as there are only 4 people named on the CTax bill. For 2 years (starting May 2009) the female was named on the bill and claimed benefit but her partner was not named on the bill, then they swapped and he was named on the bill but she wasn't, and he has claimed benefit for the last 2 periods, and will probably claim benefit for the next period. Their benefit should be calculated on a 5th of the bill, as opposed to a quarter of the bill, which is what may have been happening...

I think that's how it is anyway!

Poppie68

pennyhale wrote: »

OK this is making more sense now.

There is an added layer of complication though as the person claiming the discount may have been claiming based on a household of 4 people and not 5, as there are only 4 people named on the CTax bill. For 2 years (starting May 2009) the female was named on the bill and claimed benefit but her partner was not named on the bill, then they swapped and he was named on the bill but she wasn't, and he has claimed benefit for the last 2 periods, and will probably claim benefit for the next period. Their benefit should be calculated on a 5th of the bill, as opposed to a quarter of the bill, which is what may have been happening...

I think that's how it is anyway!

I maybe wrong but should'nt they both be named on the bill regardless of any discount?
Something sounds little fishy, why swap and change?...do you know on what grounds they are claiming the reduction?

EDIT: What type of household is this, is anyone related etc?

PollySouthend

God, if I couldn't split the bill easily with housemates then I wouldn't want to live with them. Its only a couple of pounds a month.

CIS

I maybe wrong but should'nt they both be named on the bill regardless of any discount?

As it's just council tax support and not a council tax discount they should both be named.