Living with Parents can I get council tax help?

ikkleosu

I am currently in receipt of SDA and Income Support, i live with my parents. My father died just under 2 weeks ago so now we're reexamining our finances and seeing how we'll cope. I know I can't get housing benefit, but could I get some kind of help so that i can contribute to council tax?

katskorner

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your father.

My brother lives with my parents and cannot get any benefits at all apart from JSA contribution based. He does have savings admittedly from when he was working but I know when he applied they said he couldn't even get income support let alone anything else, despite having paid NI for years. So I don't know if you will be the same.

Butterfli

ikkleosu wrote:

I am currently in receipt of SDA and Income Support, i live with my parents. My father died just under 2 weeks ago so now we're reexamining our finances and seeing how we'll cope. I know I can't get housing benefit, but could I get some kind of help so that i can contribute to council tax?

I'm not too well up on these matters and have been having the devil's own job sorting out something similar myself, but two things spring to mind that might be worth following up.
1. I think your mother might be able to claim council tax support since your father died.

2. Is it possible that she could claim a Carer's allowance for you as you are on SDA?

Sorry not to be more help, hopefully someone else will have more knowledge than me.
It just isn't fair that at a time like this when you are both in shock and grieving that you should have to battle for help. Nothing is ever made clear to you and it's a hard slog coping with officialdom, I know believe me.

Bossyboots

Have a look here http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/council_tax_benefit.asp#whatb. You are allowed quite a lot of savings and still qualify for council tax benefit.

stellagypsy

ikkleosu - if the Council Tax bill is in your mother's name she is the one who will have to claim housing benefit to reduce it. You would be classed as a non-dependant and deemed to be contributing towards the cost of the Council Tax on a sliding scale depending on your age and income (this is deducted from the amount of benefit your mother would receive and would have to be paid). Therefore you cannot claim any benefits to reduce the council tax. The only exception to this is if you are joint tenants of a rented property but I am assuming your mother owns the house you both live in.

HTH, Stella

ikkleosu

Thanks all for replies. And thanks for the thoughts, my dad's death was VERY sudden so you can imagine we're dealing with shock as well as the idea we may be somewhat financially scuppered.

The registrar said when my mum registered his death, that they would send a DSS representative round to our house to discuss it all, but no-one has showed and another week's benefits have gone into the bank so we want to get it sorted as soon as possible. Hopefully mum will be able to claim more even if I can't.

[Deleted User]

I presume there are two adults over the age of 18 in your home now ?

The liable person for council tax needs to make a claim. The Local Authority should them make two calculations...

1) A 'normal' claim for CTB based on the liable person's income etc and with you as a 'non-dependant'

2) A claim for 'second adult rebate' based on your circumstances. The liable person doesn't have to provide proof of their income for this claim.

Ensure that they have done both calculations.

The LA will then award the 'best buy', ie the claim which pays the greatest rae of benefit.

My advice is to go and see your Council ASAP, as claims aren't usually backdated without continuous 'good cause'.

Your benefit (if any) will usually start from the monday following receipt of the claim at the council offices.

Hope this helps.