Council Tax Reduction if you're on a low income

If you’re on a low income, you may be eligible for the Council Tax Reduction scheme to reduce your Council Tax bill.

Eligibility

To claim Council Tax Reduction you must:

• be 18 or older
• have a low income
• have under £16,000 in savings and capital (unless you receive Pension Credit)
• be treated as liable for Council Tax for the property you live in
• not be a full-time student or treated as a person from abroad.

Capital includes money in savings or bank accounts, shares, investments or property. Do not include the value of the home that you live in or personal possessions. Certain other types of capital are also ignored. For full details email benefits@medway.gov.uk.

Find out how Council Tax Reduction works if you're on a low income.

Working age banded income grid

We've designed the banded income grid scheme to remove the means test. The reduction is now based solely on weekly income.

This is designed to make it easier for you to see how much Council Tax Reduction you would be entitled to, by plotting yourself on the table according to your weekly income.

It's also designed to be less reactive to slight changes in income.

The weekly income bands

* If you or your partner receive Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or income-based Job Seekers Allowance, you'll automatically be placed in the top (65%) band.

If you or your partner receive a War Disablement, War Widow’s or War Widower’s Pension, the income banded system will not apply to you.

Apply for Council Tax Reduction

To apply for Council Tax Reduction, you'll need to provide:

• proof of identity
• income and savings
• household circumstances.

Apply for Council Tax Reduction

Uploading evidence after you have applied

We might ask you to upload evidence to support your claim for Council Tax Reduction. 

You can do this using our online form. 

Upload your evidence for Council Tax Reduction

What you can upload

We accept PDF files and most image types (jpeg, png, tiff, gif and bmp).

When uploading evidence:

• Microsoft Word documents must be saved as PDFs before being uploaded
• there is a 5mb file size limit
• you must attach actual files, we cannot access links to websites or cloud-based storage such as OneDrive or Google Drive.

Once you have completed your details and attached all the documents you can submit your form.

If we need original documents

We may need to see original documents, rather than copies in some cases. If we have asked you to send original documents you will not be able to upload your evidence using our online form.

Instead, you can provide original documents:

• by calling 01634 332 222 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) and making an appointment to come into Kingsley House: 37 to 39 Balmoral Road, Gillingham, ME7 4PF
• by post to Medway Revenues and Benefits, Business Support department, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4TR.

Other reductions and discounts

You may also be eligible for a reduction or exemption if you:

• live alone
• someone you live with is a student
• someone you live with is disabled, a carer or care worker
• have an empty property.

View other Council Tax reductions.