Skip to content

Can I claim council tax support


Council Tax Support helps people who are on a low income or claiming certain benefits to pay some of their Council Tax bill.

You can claim Council Tax Support if you own your own home or rent.  You can also claim if you are working or unemployed.

Entitlement to Council Tax Support is based on how much income, capital and savings your household has.

Working age and retirement age rules

There are different rules for working age and people who have reached State Retirement Pension age.

Working age

If you have over £6,000 in savings or capital you won’t normally qualify for any Council Tax Support.

For someone of working age, backdating Council Tax Support is not allowed under any circumstances.

It is always best to make your claim as soon as possible.

Retirement pension age

To check if you are pension age, please use the  Department for Work and Pensions website.

Department for Work and Pensions websiteIn some cases Second Adult Rebate can help with Council Tax if you:

  • are retirement pension age and
  • have another adult living with you which prevents you getting a discount or exemption from Council Tax

Please see our second adult rebate page for more information.

Second adult rebateCheck if you can claim council tax support

The quickest and easiest way to check if you can claim Council Tax Support is to use our confidential online benefit calculator below.

Online benefit calculator

Using our calculator is not the same as making a claim; you will need to do this separately.  

Please read our policy document for the full rules on who can get Council Tax Support.

Council tax support policy

Revenues and Benefits will use information you share with the Council from Policy in Practice's Better Off Calculator to help identify what benefits or support schemes you may be eligible for.

This information may be shared with other Cornwall Council departments including those dealing with housing and social care support.

Each calculation shared with Cornwall Council will be assessed on a case by case basis to decide if to share with other departments for this purpose.

Apply for council tax support

You can apply for council tax support using the link below.

Apply for council tax support online

You will need your details and those of anyone else who lives with you, including:

  • your name
  • date of birth
  • National Insurance Number
  • details of your income or anyone else living in the household

Don’t worry if you don’t have all of the information now.

You will need to claim as soon as possible as we can only usually pay from the date you first contact us. 

Need help?

Most issues can be resolved online, it's the quickest and most convenient way to get help.

Use our contact us form

Your feedback is important to us

Help us improve our service