Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payments

Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payments

The Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payment scheme can give you limited short term help to pay your Council Tax.

Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payments are available to help customers who need further help with Council Tax. They are payments to be made at the discretion of the Council where it is considered that additional help with Council Tax costs is needed.

However the amount of money available to the Council to make these payments is strictly limited. To be able to apply for Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payments the customer must:

  • Be entitled to Council Tax Reduction Discount.
  • Require further financial assistance in order to meet Council Tax costs.

By Council Tax costs we mean the amount of Council Tax you are liable to pay to the Council. However, no award can be made to grant help with:

  • Hardship which results from Social Security Benefit sanctions or suspensions.

Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payments are temporary and available for periods up to 12 months.

We take into account:

  • The shortfall between Council Tax Reduction and the actual amount of Council Tax charged.
  • The income and expenditure of you and your household.
  • Any savings or capital held by you or your household.
  • Any future changes in circumstances that will lead to an increase in Council Tax Reduction.
  • Have you applied for all available sources of income available to you?
  • The level of indebtedness and committed expenditure of you and your family.

You can get advice on claiming a Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payment by contacting the Citizens Advice Bureau (opens in a new window).

How to apply

If you are making an application for a Discretionary Housing Payment, we will automatically consider whether you can be awarded a Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payment. If not, you need to complete a Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Payment application (opens in a new window) and send it us with as much information as possible to help us understand why your circumstances are special.

Once we have received your form we will contact you to let you know if we require any further information. We may also arrange an interview with you to discuss your request in more detail.