Martin Lewis urges millions to check if they are missing £1,500

Martin Lewis has highlighted a financial lifeline that many households could be missing out on. Speaking during a council tax special of his TV show, Martin said: "This is the big one. There’s council tax support worth up to £1,500 a year missed by possibly 2.25 million people.

"It’s run by the council and it’s for people on lower incomes. It can cut your council tax bill in some cases up to 100%, but even if not 50% is still a lot."

Martin explained that the support is typically aimed at those on means-tested benefits. He said: “It often applies to people on means-tested benefits. Universal Credit, Pension Credit, I keep talking about that [pension credit] is under-claimed but very important."

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However, he stressed the importance of applying for the benefit separately. He said: “This is the big fact though… people think if they’re on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, they’ll get everything that’s coming to them.

"You don’t. [For] the council tax benefit, even if you’re getting Universal Credit, you must apply separately to your council to get it and that is why so many people are missing out.”

Martin encouraged those on lower incomes to check their local council’s policies. He said: “So if you are on a lower income, look at your council’s policy and see if you can apply to get this money. It’s crucially important.”

He also shared advice for households with residents who are disabled: "Just to finish off, if your property has been adapted for someone with a disability, you may be able to drop a council tax band. With that one, you actually need to confirm every year that you're still in the same situation, so that's worth looking at too."