Government welfare reform affects Council Tax Benefit from this week.

[Snowme]

I've just received my revised council tax bill. Though claiming income support and previously receiving full council tax benefit, as part of the reform I will now have to pay £6 per month. I expect this will be a set amount for everyone on income support.

I've phoned the council this morning to confirm the change is rolling out nationwide this week and the new charge is not an error, but part of the reform.

Doesn't seem much does it,but when you are a lone parent support two under fives it makes a difference, however small.

In regards to council tax...20% of the council tax is payable so my friend got her bill this morning, £220 per year. She's a single parent. A full time Carer in receipt of Carer allowance& Income Support. She lives in London.

So all non working households regardless of circumstances, are liable to pay. She used to get 100% council tax benefit.

This absolutely stinks.
I know it may not seem much to some but when you are living on benefit all these extra costs are going to add up.
My friend has received hers today as well.
So sorry for you. sending

Be glad you're not hit with a bedroom tax on top of that.

It stinks. Everyone seems to go on about the bedroom tax, and the universal credit, but this never really seems to get mentioned and how badly it will hit households. Not everyone is aware that this is going to hit everyone, regardless of working or not.
Looking at the 2 quotes, doesn't seem to be a set amount either and councils can charge whatever they feel like.
My friend got hers on Saturday. London borough. Carer in recipt of IS, and getting charged £456 a year, which they want paying at £19 a fortnight. Which is a joke, because universal credit will be paid monthly, never mind trying to find extra cash every week to pay this.

Yes she is also getting hit with the bedroom tax. She is desperately trying to find somewhere suitable, but isn't having any luck.

Thats what i went to see my friend. She's in dispute with the council as they claim as she has a dining room, she has a 4 bedroom house not 3 bedroom house, as her tenancy states. She called her housing manager, who was no help at all as the council staff are being reorganised so they couldn't even tell my friend who would be dealing with her after April...

Its all a big mess!

We've been told that we will be being charged £20 a week for the bedroom tax but our new bill made no mention of losing any council tax benefit? Dp is on ESA and DLA.

Thats the problem, there is no set amount. Each council sets the amount & how to collect it.

Every household of working age will be liable to pay 20% of their Council tax. General rule is if you recieved 100% council tax benefit, as of April you will have to pay 20% council tax. Even if your in receipt of income Support, jsa,esa,dla...

Its a percentage of the council tax. So if you are in a band a property it will be 1 amount and If a band e a higher amount.
The portlypinup it maybe that your local authority is protecting people on DLA. You could check on their website

council tax changes are affecting all of us. dsis rents out her house and rents a flat in a different city (had to move for work due to redundancy and house in neg equity so can't sell). she works but is a single parent and under the new system will have to pay council tax on the house she owns if it is empty whicj it sometimes is between tenancies (currently exempt on empty properties). this stinks as you pay council tax for services and if a house is empty, no services are being used. dsis earns just over the threshold for wtc or any other help but is overdrawn each month. this council tax change could potentially ruin her and she is only one pay cheque away from poverty as are many. 'we are all in this together' if we are working/ lower middle class or on benefits. those who can afford to spare a little cash are being let off. if all the companies operating in the uk paid tax and loopholes were closed for the super rich we wouldn't need to attack the strivers and the vulnerable members of society. this government needs to go. they are against social mobility big time.

Is it definatly a set 20% nationwide for someone currently getting 100%? Because 456 a year is more than 20%. If there is a cap, then it would be a lot cheaper than this.

I'm going to have to pay £150 month (25% rent for having 2 spare rooms, 1 of which is hardly big enough for a bed!) and then £16 month council tax.

Council tax is band F. Horrible housing estate next to an out of town shopping centre- not a lovely big house in the country or owt!

Bloody nightmare. I only moved here because it was the only house available when I seperated from XH and moved out of army housing.

I've lost all my council tax benefit, basically my CT has gone from around £33 a month to £85.

I think this is because they now take maintenance into consideration when working out benefit entitlement and exDP is a high (ish) earner.

Even so, it is a big increase for me from getting around 50% paid to getting nothing. Am lucky in that is coninciding with DD getting egligable for her free pre-school hours which is going to help a lot as can up my working hours.

Feel sorry for those who are really stuck and have no option but to just suck it up. with UC just around the corner it is only going to get worse as well. :( Scarey times.

Just a quick note... box rooms (check online for measurements) are exempt from bedroom tax.

Can it be classed as a bedroom if you use at as another type of room, office, lounge, playroom etc.
Also is it a bedroom if you block the window up and turn it into dressing room or store cupboard.

Yep, I get disability and carers benefit, we have been trying to move into a smaller place (underoccupying by one roomand more than Ive been arguing with 'them' about that one as extra room is no bigger than a large cupboard, all to deaf ears) for a year with no luck,

and now been hit with paying coiuncil tax AND bedroom tax, NO exceptions,

PLUS been told that I wont be getting mobility help any more even though DC and I are BOTH disabled.

What a brilliant caring pM we have........