Council tax support gone completely after moving to UC

itsthelittlethings

They have changed how they pay council tax support, partly as councils are desperate for money and partly as someone earning the same wage would be expected to pay full council tax.

Muttleythefrog

Goldenretrieversarelife said:

Well it's been 2 weeks since she sent the form off again and no reply they usually reply within 5 working days so I think there ignoring her and she's just going to have to leave it because we can't keep filling the form in. Personally I think it's disgusting that she requested for a complete breakdown and nothing. 

Escalate the enquiry (with the reference) as complaint would be my next step... mind you council here also very slow to deal with CT enquiries... mine over 2 weeks now. Definitely don't raise the same enquiry again or you'll end up chasing your tail as much as them.

HillStreetBlues

Muttleythefrog said:

Goldenretrieversarelife said:

Well it's been 2 weeks since she sent the form off again and no reply they usually reply within 5 working days so I think there ignoring her and she's just going to have to leave it because we can't keep filling the form in. Personally I think it's disgusting that she requested for a complete breakdown and nothing. 

Escalate the enquiry (with the reference) as complaint would be my next step... mind you council here also very slow to deal with CT enquiries... mine over 2 weeks now. Definitely don't raise the same enquiry again or you'll end up chasing your tail as much as them.

Councils vary so much, I queried my council tax this week as first time I had to pay anything, within 30 mins of my email they replied saying they made a mistake.

Goldenretrieversarelife

Ok so they got back finally and I've looked at the calculations and mums and mum did calculate wrong. She was taking it away from the bill itself not the council tax support entitlement. 

So she was eligible for a 45% council tax support however due to me and my sister living at home they apply a £10.75 deduction per week per adult so £21.50 a week and once you add that up for the remaining 7 months it works out to more than the 45% entitlement and so she's no longer eligible for council tax support so we have to somehow pay it ourselves in full from now on. I still think it's disgusting because she would sill receive support if she was on ESA still this has only happened because they class UC as income. 

Anyway thought I'd update everyone 

chapea

My council tax support has changed completely this year as well I receive a small occupational pension as left work early due to ill health, carers allowance (daughter autistic)  and PIP

Until this year the support was worked out including applicable amounts for severe disability premium and carer premium which meant the PIP care element and carers allowance weren’t counted as income. They have took these away so the monies now not disregarded as income    They have added in rent for people on universal credit being disregarded so they are better off

i have a mortgage to pay but no allowance for this and I know I have the house but obviously have to pay the mortgage still. 

I was paying £34 per month and now have to pay £128.  Also there was no warning it was changing until I got the new bill at end of March to start in April. So with a very low income had to find another £94 a month. I did ring up as thought there was a mistake to be told it’s correct and tough. 

I sometimes wish I didn’t have the occupational pension as with carers allowance as well I’m  about £2 per month over single person universal credit which means I haven’t been eligible for any of the cost of living help as well 

KxMx

Unfortunately that's not the first local authority I have heard about this year, that no longer disregard PIP. 

Spoonie_Turtle

chapea said:

My council tax support has changed completely this year as well I receive a small occupational pension as left work early due to ill health, carers allowance (daughter autistic)  and PIP

…

I sometimes wish I didn’t have the occupational pension as with carers allowance as well I’m  about £2 per month over single person universal credit which means I haven’t been eligible for any of the cost of living help as well 

Have you done a benefits calculation as if you no longer claim CA?  IF it would make you better off overall, you could cancel Carers Allowance and claim UC (including the carer element, or the LCWRA element if you qualify).

But.

Councils work out their council tax support differently, and as it seems you know, many include all of UC as income anyway.  And of course, too late for cost of living help.

Just if it would help with other passported support - such as free prescriptions/optical/dental, Warm Home Discount, etc. - it could be worth looking into.

So do not take this as advice to do that, I'm literally just mentioning that it might be a possibility if it is something that would work out to be beneficial to you.