Council tax need advice?

Hi,

I have only recently realised I can claim a discount for council tax. The council have sent forms but have requested the date my son was first awarded DLA.

I rang the DWP and they said as my son has been transferred to PIP the initial date of his DLA award had been archived and they are not able to give me these details.

I am quite annoyed as you see in the press how they are able to go back many years to prosecute people!

Any advice much appreciated.
Thank you

Edited by moderator to remove advertising link in signature

In the interim can you find back bank statements.

There are a couple of different ‘discounts’ for council tax. It is worth reading up on. Hopefully my info is up to date. This is from my memory:-

1- a reduction of one band eg rated as D pay C rate. This is if you have a separate/ additional room for the disabled person. There are terms and can be backdated (6 years?)

2- a discount. This will be subject to SMI and only take effect from 18th birthday. This should, therefore, rule out the relevance of DLA?

I found that most of the staff at the local council were uneducated on point 2.

There is a difference between “discount” where a charge is reduced, and an “exemption”.

I would suggest googling “council tax exemptions” and looking at the .gov pages.

Are you a moderator or Admin ?

That’s the second time in 24 hours you have dismissively told someone to look elsewhere for their answers. People come here to ask sometimes to them what they consider delicate or perhaps embarrassing questions. Or perhaps someone like me who just gets lost and confused trying to fathom the internet.

I asked a question yesterday. I hesitated to as as for me sorting out carers allowance makes me feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. This despite my wife and I having worked solidly each of us for 40 years before the unfortunate happened . You told me to speak to a solicitor…

So I removed the text from the post and Admin duly deleted the post.

This is a forum where folk discus. It may be mundane often boring with repeat questions. But without posts forums would die.

I have been a carer for over 40 years, in total I’ve had 10 carees, 8 operations, and been disabled myself. My health is poor.

I’m not a moderator, but have lots of experience of dealing with officialdom, starting when I was just 19.
I’ve also studied for a Business Studies degree whilst caring for my family, a glutton for punishment!

I’m very disappointed that you see my comments as being “dismissive”.
I try to give the best answer in the shortest amount of time, because I’m a very busy person with arthritis in my fingers, some days I can hardly type.

If you want to claim a benefit you need to know what the law states.
Some council employees don’t understand the rules surrounding the benefits that they manage.
They won’t be the least bit interested in what Bowlingbun says on the CUK forum.
They want to know what the law is, what the rules state.
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you get the benefit, if you don’t, you won’t.

I pointed you in the direction of the .gov site because that is where you’ll find the rules.
Print them off, send them to the Council Tax office, and tell them why you qualify for the benefit.
Job done.

I know my limits, and what is generally available. If I suggested consulting a solicitor (they usually give the first 30 minutes free) again, it’s aimed at achieving your goal with the best outcome with the least amount of hassle for you.

I am well aware that forums are for people to discuss things.
I think you’ll find that I contribute more to the forum than any other current member.
I am trying to help carers, and I get help too.

With respect I didn’t ask for your position or circumstances … If your to busy perhaps you could wait for someone else to answer who might have more time. Short or Curt answers maybe won’t help and might put someone off.

You’ve completely missed the main point. Not all of us find it easy to navigate the gov sites let alone how to print them off. For those of us new to those sites they can be confusing that’s why we ask on a place like this for information and or tips. Like wise the staff at some of these Govt departments aren’t always overly helpful again this is why some of us feel the need to ask.

I don’t think anyone is going to quote either your or anyone else’s opinion as it won’t count but the opinions if forthcoming can give a person direction. No one expects chapter and verse just a little advice and help.

It matters not how much a member contributes it’s the content of what they post that is important.

I wish you well with your health .