How to check if you are eligible for a council tax discount.
You may be entitled to Council Tax Reduction if you:
- are responsible for paying the council tax bill
- are on a low income or claim benefits
- own or rent your home
You cannot get Council Tax Reduction if:
- you or your partner jointly have more than £16,000 in savings and capital. However, if you are in receipt of Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit) you may still qualify.
You could get a discount of:
- up to 100% if you are state pension age
- up to 85% if you are working age
We will calculate your reduction based on:
- your circumstances (for example, the number of children and your residency status) and;
- your income (for example, you and your partners (if you have one) savings, pensions, earnings)
If you are unsure whether you are entitled Council Tax Reduction, you can use our benefits calculator to work out what you could get.
This is an estimate only and we will only be able to confirm your actual entitlement after reviewing your application and evidence.
Apply for council tax reduction
At the end of the claim there is information on what you will need to provide to us so that we can assess your claim. Please make sure that you view this information and provide whatever you need to within one calendar month of submitting the form, otherwise your claim will be refused and you will need to reapply again.
If you have any queries regarding completion of the form, please telephone Solihull Connect on 0121 704 8200
You can view a full copy of our Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) for 2025/26.
If you are already receiving CTRS from Solihull Council your award will automatically be updated from 1 April 2025.
Under the national scheme, your council tax bill could be reduced by up to 100% depending on your circumstances.
The amount of Council Tax Reduction you receive will depend on:
- your income, including any benefits
- your savings
- your household size
We can also assess your entitlement for second adult reduction. This is a reduction in your council tax that can be provided if you have another adult living with you who:
- is 18 or over
- is not your partner
- doesn’t have to pay you rent or board
- is on a low income or gets certain benefits
- doesn't have joint responsibility with you for paying council tax
You must apply for the reduction rather than the second adult.
How much second adult reduction will you get?
If the second adult in your home is getting one of the following benefits, you will get a 25% reduction on your eligible council tax:
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
- Employment and Support Allowance (income related)
If the second adult isn't on one of the benefits listed above, the table below shows the percentage reduction:
| Adults gross weekly income | Percentage reduction on council tax |
|---|---|
| Less than £275.99 | 15% |
| Between £276.00 - £357.99 | 7.5% |
| More than £358 | 0% |
Gross income is not just from employment (i.e. total earnings before tax and National Insurance) but includes income from other sources.
You can check your state pension age at GOV.UK.
Solihull Council has introduced an income banded Council Tax Reduction Scheme for working age residents which has replaced the previous complex means test scheme.
Depending on your income and who lives in your household, you may be entitled to a reduction of your council tax liability of up to 85%.
The reduction you receive is based on the income bands and household size as shown in the table below:
| Discount level | Passported | Single | Single with 1 Child | Single with 2+ Children | Couples | Couple with 1 Child | Couple with 2+ Children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Income Levels (Net) | |||||||
| Band 1 85% |
Relevant benefit | £0.00 to £125 | £0.00 to £225 | £0.00 to £325 | £0.00 to £175 | £0.00 to £225 | £0.00 to £325 |
| Band 2 75% |
N/A | £125.01 to £175 | £225.01 to £275 | £325.01 to £375 | £175.01 to £225 | £225.01 to £275 | £325.01 to £375 |
| Band 3 50% |
N/A | £175.01 to £225 | £275.01 to £325 | £375.01 to £425 | £225.01 to £275 | £275.01 to £325 | £375.01 to £425 |
| Band 4 25% |
N/A | £225.01 to £275 | £325.01 to £375 | £425.01 to £475 | £275.01 to £325 | £325.01 to £375 | £425.01 to £475 |
Net income will be applied in the income bands shown above. Your net income is the amount of money you receive after any deductions.
Passported benefits are benefits which some people are entitled to because of their entitlement to other state benefits. To be deemed as Passported, you must be receiving one of the following relevant benefits:
- Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
When we calculate your income to work out your band, we will disregard (not include) the following:
- Carers Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Child maintenance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance Support Component
- Personal Independence Payments
- Universal Credit Carer Element
- Universal Credit Disabled Child Element
- Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work
- Universal Credit Housing Element
- War Pensions
In addition, if you
- claim a disability benefit you will receive a £50 disregard from your income (per household)
- are in work you will receive up to a £50 disregard from your earned income (per household)
- have capital (savings) less than £16,000, this will not be included. You will not be entitled to Council Tax Reduction if you have £16,000 or more in savings
A non-dependant is someone aged 18 or over (other than a partner) who lives with you. A non-dependant could be a parent, adult son or daughter, relative or friend.
There will be a £10 per week reduction in your discount for each non-dependant that lives with you. We will not make a non-dependant deduction if you or your partner are in receipt of any of the following benefits:
- Disability Living Allowance - care component
- Personal Independence Payments - daily living component
The reduction is calculated based on the income you receive and household income. Some examples are shown below:
| Household circumstances and gross weekly income | Less income we disregard (ignore) | Total net weekly income used to assess entitlement | Income band | Council tax discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(£311.33 - £50) |
|
|
|
|
(£771.28 - £451.28) |
|
|
|
|
(£414.72 - £50) |
|
|
Example council tax reduction entitlement letter
There are some differences between a Pension Age and a Working Age Council Tax Reduction entitlement letter due to the different schemes.
An explanation of what information is provided in the letter can be viewed below. Select the relevant example depending on your circumstances.
You will need to provide evidence in support of your claim. An example of the evidence you will need to provide, depending on the type of claim made, is in the table below.
Please provide this information as soon as possible and within one calendar month of when you submitted your claim.
| Claim type - Evidence required | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Benefit | Council Tax Reduction Pension age |
Council Tax Reduction Working age |
|
| Identity, National Insurance Number (NINO) and Address Identity - Passport, birth certificate or driving licence NINO - DWP benefits letter, recent wage slip, P60 or National Insurance card Address - Utility bill or bank statement |
Yes | No | No |
| Capital - most recent bank/building society statements, share certificates, ISAs, premium bonds, etc | Yes | No | No |
| Childcare costs - invoice/statements from a nursery or childcare setting | Yes | Yes | No |
| Child benefit - child benefit letter or bank statement | Yes | Yes | No |
| Earnings - most recent wage slips (2 if paid monthly, 5 if paid weekly) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-employed earnings - latest accounts or evidence of income/expenditure | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Non-dependant (adult over 18 not your partner) working or not receiving any state benefits - most recent wage slips or other evidence confirming their income | Yes | Yes | No |
| Non-dependant (adult over 18 not your partner) who is a student - course details confirming length of course and place of learning | Yes | Yes | No |
| Renting from a private landlord - tenancy agreement or letter from landlord confirming date tenancy started, length of tenancy, rent charged and frequency (i.e. weekly or monthly) | Yes | No | No |
There may be times when additional information is required to be able to assess or check your claim. We will contact you by telephone, email or letter to request this.
You must let us know about a change in circumstances as soon as possible and within one month of when the change happened. Failure to do so could result in an overpayment or reduction which will have to be repaid and your claim may be cancelled.
If you are facing exceptional financial hardship, you can apply to our Discretionary Council Tax exceptional hardship fund. To apply please complete the application form below:
Council Tax Discretionary Reduction in Liability
For anyone experiencing financial difficulties please visit our here to help pages for advice and support.
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