If you get Income Support, Guaranteed Pension Credit or Job Seekers Allowance (Income-based), you will get the full amount of your Council Tax as benefit after any non-dependant deductions have been taken off.

If you do not get Income Support, Guaranteed Pension Credit or Job Seekers Allowance (Income-based), we work out your Council Tax Benefit by comparing the money you get each week with your 'applicable amount'. Your applicable amount is what the government say you and your family need to live on each week.

The applicable amount will be higher for some people - for example if you are disabled or you are a one-parent family. If the money you get each week is less than, or the same as the applicable amount, you will get the full amount of Council Tax Benefit. If this happens you should claim Income Support, Guaranteed Pension Credit or Job Seekers Allowance as you may get more help.

What income is counted when calculating Council Tax Benefit

We count the income you earn from work after money has been taken out for:

1. Tax and National Insurance
2. 50% of any amount paid into a pension fund
3. Social Security benefits
4. Maintenance payments 
5. Pensions 
6. Savings and/or capital (for more about savings and capital see below)

What income is not counted when calculating
Council Tax Benefit

1. The first £5.00 earned each week if you are SINGLE
2. The first £10.00 earned each week if you are a COUPLE
3. The first £20.00 of the money you earn each week if you are DISABLED
4. The first £25.00 of the money you earn each week if you are a SINGLE PARENT
5.  The first £15.00 of any maintenance payments if you have dependant children
6.  Disability Living Allowance
7. Attendance Allowance
8. Mobility Allowance
9. War Widows Pension
10. War Disablement Pension

More about savings and capital

Government rules say that if you (and your partner if you are a couple) have savings or capital of more than £16,000, you cannot get Council Tax Benefit unless you are in receipt of Guaranteed Pension Credit.

If you have £3,000 or less, or you are over 60 and have £6,000 or less, it will not affect your claim, but we will still need to see proof of your savings.

If you have between £3,000 and £16,000, it affects how much Council Tax Benefit you will get.

What happens if there are other people living with
you

If you have friends, relatives or anyone over 18 living in your home, you may still get Council Tax Benefit.  However there may be a deduction from the full entitlement. These people are called non-dependants. An amount may be taken out of your benefit for each non-dependant who lives in your home.

Non-dependants do not include:-

1. Your partner 
2. A child you receive child benefit for
3. Your landlord and members of the landlord’s household
4. People less than 18 years of age
5. People on Work-based Training Allowance

No money will be taken out of your benefit for non-dependants if:-

1. You are receiving Attendance Allowance 
2. You are receiving the care part of the Disability Living allowance 
3. You are registered blind.