The Government announced an Energy Bill Rebate for households in England from April 2022 to help with rising energy costs. This included a one-off payment of £150.00 to most households in Council Tax bands A-D, excluding empty or second homes.
This scheme has now closed. All those people who are eligible for the council tax rebate will now have received their Energy Rebate.
Discretionary Council Tax Energy Rebate
The Discretionary Council Tax Rebate is a one-off payment of £150 to eligible households in council tax bands E-H to help with rising energy costs. It is part of the government's Energy Bills Rebate scheme announced earlier this year. There is a different rebate for people in council tax bands A to D.
The scheme will close when all the available funding has been distributed or on the 30 November 2022, whichever comes first.
Discretionary Council Tax Rebate Scheme Policy (PDF).
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this scheme, you must have been in the household as at 1 April 2022.
In addition, you will need to fall into one of the following groups:
- Households that are in receipt of Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) and have their sole or main residence in a dwelling with a Council Tax band E to H
- Households in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as Income Support, Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit or Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, where they are not in receipt of an award under the mandatory scheme. Please note that this will include households where the owner is liable for Council Tax under the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992
- Households where there is a person in receipt of Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance and where they are not in receipt of an award under the mandatory scheme
- Households which are considered to be suffering financial hardship and who are not in receipt of an award under the mandatory scheme. The Council will look for the household to supply evidence of this
If you do not qualify under any of the above criteria but are facing financial difficulties paying your council tax, contact our Revenues team on 01376 557755.
Who will not get the discretionary payment
You will not get the discretionary payment if:
- your property is a second home
- your property is empty
- you are registered for Council Tax as the landlord of a house in multiple occupation (HMO)
The property must be in the eligible Council Tax band. Any retrospective changes to banding will not qualify for eligibility.
Discretionary Fund Council Tax Rebate payments
This payment will be made to the liable council taxpayer.
Only one payment will be made per household, regardless of the number of occupants or liable council taxpayers.
How you will receive the Discretionary Fund Council Tax Rebate
If you believe you are eligible for the discretionary payment, call the Revenues team on 01376 557755.
If you are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance or you consider yourself to be suffering from financial hardship and not in receipt of a rebate under the mandatory scheme, you will need to apply by calling our Revenues team on 01376 557755.
If you are a liable council taxpayer and you meet the above criteria and do not pay by direct debit, including those who pay by standing order, you will receive a letter asking for your bank details to arrange payment. If no response is received, the payment will be credited to your council tax account.
No payment will be made where the name on the bank details does not match a liable taxpayer. Should we require additional information in order to establish the correct person to receive the payment, it is expected that the household provides all necessary details as soon as possible within 2 weeks of the initial request.
Privacy Notice
All applications will be subject to a prepayment check, to confirm the identity of the applicant and their bank account details. Data will be provided to DLUCH on request, as part of the reconciliation and verification process.
Find out how we handle your data on our privacy page.
Scams
Be wary of any council tax scams out there such as receiving text messages or emails asking you to click on links. If you are worried about any potential council tax scams you have received, you can speak to our Revenues team on 01376 557755.
Last updated: Tuesday 11 October 2022.