Council Tax Benefits
Council Tax Benefit is help with the payment of Council Tax. If you have a
low income or receive Income Support and have less than £16,000
in savings, you can get Benefit of up to 100% of your Council Tax
bill.
Housing/Council Tax Benefit for Pensioners
Since December 2005 the Government has been encouraging pensioners to claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit by using a shortened application form. Claiming is easier than ever before.
The claim form is shorter and new rules mean that once you've successfully applied for council tax benefit you don't have to re-apply every year.
The simplified system means that Pension Credit customers will only have to provide their financial information once. They will be sent the pre-completed three-page council tax form by The Pension Service to check, sign and return to the council.
Customers may be entitled to a rebate on what they have already paid, as their claim can be backdated for up to 12 months.
If a pensioner also wants to apply for pension credit, they should call the Pension Service's credit application line on 0800 99 1234.
The Pension Service can send them a council tax benefit claim form.
If you have not already received a copy of the shortened claim form and you wish to claim Housing or Council Tax Benefit, please print the application form and return it to the Benefits Office.
Important note: If you download and print off a copy of the claim form from this website please remember to email benefits@bexley.gov.uk on the same day. This will ensure that your date of claim is recorded correctly. Please remember to include your name and address so that your email can be matched to the claim form when it is received.
Please note: you should only complete the new 3 page application form for Housing or Council Tax Benefit if you are receiving Pension Credit. If you are not receiving Pension Credit you should complete the Council's normal application form for benefits which can be found here.
All forms are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format (PDF format - see help)
 Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Claim Form ( 23KB)
Notes for completing the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Form for Pensioners (14KB)
Second Adult Rebate
Who can claim Second Adult Rebate?
The rules for claiming Second Adult Rebate are different from those for claiming
main Council Tax benefit. Second Adult Rebate is awarded when the claimant has
a second adult living in his or her home who is on Income Support, Job Seekers
Allowance or on a low income. The level of the claimant's income or capital
is not taken into account.
What is a 'second adult'?
A 'second adult' is somebody over the age of 18 living in your
household on a non-commercial basis (i.e. not paying rent). A second adult can
be: an adult son or daughter, a relative or a friend or a certain type of carer.
A 'second adult' cannot be:
- a partner;
- a tenant/boarder or
- a joint tenant
In addition, a 'second adult' cannot be a person normally disregarded
for Council Tax purposes such as:
- a person under the age of 18 or someone over 18 years if Child Benefit
is still in payment;
- a full time student;
- a person on a youth training scheme;
- an apprentice on a NCVQ/SVEC course;
- a person who is severely mentally impaired;
- certain types of carers;
- people in prison or other forms of detention;
- people who have been in hospital
for more than 6 weeks;
- people actually or normally resident elsewhere;
- diplomats and members of
International bodies or of visiting forces
This is because you still may be able to get a single person discount if the
person living with you falls into one of these categories.
You should contact the Council Tax section directly if you think you may be
entitled to a single person discount, by:
- telephoning: 0845 302 3200;
- emailing: localtaxes@bexley.gov.uk;
or
- writing to: Bexley Council, PO Box 367, Erith, DA8 1UA
You cannot claim a Second Adult Rebate if:
- you have a partner;
- if the second adults living with you have a commercial
liability to pay rent (i.e. they are your tenants or your joint tenants).
How much Second Adult Rebate can I get?
How much benefit you can get depends on the circumstances and income of the
second adult or adults living with you. No matter how many second adults you
have, you can only get one amount of Second Adult Rebate. Second Adult Rebate
is paid as a percentage deduction in your Council Tax bill. There are three bands:
- 25% reduction in your bill;
- 15% reduction in your bill;
- 7.5% reduction in your bill.
The percentage of Council Tax met by Second Adult Rebate is as follows:
Second adult(s) in receipt of Income Support or Income Based Job Seekers
Allowance |
25% |
Gross income of second adult (s) less than £144 |
15% |
Gross income of second adult(s) £144 to £186.99 |
7.5% |
The links below provide further information on the benefits that
you may be eligible to receive.
 Can I get a discount or exemption from my Council Tax?
Am I eligible for Council Tax Benefit?
Important note: If you download and print off a copy of the claim form from this website please remember to email benefits@bexley.gov.uk on the same day. This will ensure that your date of claim is recorded correctly. Please remember to include your name and address so that your email can be matched to the claim form when it is received.
Application for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Form (PDF file, 78kB)
Applications Forms are available from Erith
Town Hall, Erith and Civic
Offices, Bexleyheath.
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