State pensioners waking up to council tax bills being reduced to £0

State pensioners are being handed £0 council tax bills in some local authority areas in England. Pensioners in the UK (people above the State Pension age) are usually required to pay Council Tax. However, there are some discounts and exemptions available for certain groups, including pensioners. If you’re a pensioner, any council tax reduction will apply to the whole of your bill.

These discounts and exemptions vary, depending on personal circumstances and specific local authority policies. Depending on where you live, your circumstances, household and other factors, you may be eligible for up to 100% off your Council Tax bills (if your weekly income is below a certain amount).

During 2022/2023, single pensioners were eligible if their income was below £197.10 per week. Liverpool City Council, for instance, states: "The amount you get will depend on your age, income and savings, who else lives with you and which benefits you receive.

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"The maximum amount of Council Tax Support you can receive is 91.5% of the Council Tax bill if you are of working age or up to 100% of the Council Tax bill if you are of pensionable age. You can use an independent benefits calculator on GOV.UK to check if you can apply for Council Tax Support.

"We will let you know what your actual award is once we have processed your claim." You can apply online for Council Tax Support. But you will need to hand over your National Insurance number for you (and your partner if applicable), full name and dates of birth of everyone in your household, and your household income, savings, investments and expenses – including things like childcare costs and private pension contributions.

You will be able to upload any evidence whilst making your application, too. You can save your application at various stages and finish it later. If you save your details part way through, you will be given a Citizen Access Benefits key code. Make a note of this as you'll need it to log back into your form.