Money Matters: Claim your £150 council tax rebate
Wrekin's Debt & Energy Manager Dan Bebbington looks at how people can ensure they receive a £150 council tax rebate
Back in February it was announced anyone in properties with a council tax band A-D would receive a payment of £150 to help with the soaring energy costs. Anyone who pays via direct debit will have received this automatically into their bank accounts. However, if you don’t pay your council tax with direct debit, it’s a little more complicated – and councils are taking different approaches to issuing the payment.
To date, some money still goes unclaimed – after speaking with Telford and Wrekin Council, they confirm around 6% of customers entitled still haven’t claimed their money.
I would urge anyone who hasn’t yet claimed to contact to contact your local authority immediately. There are a number of ways in which they can get this money to you:
- Fill a form online and get paid into your bank account.This is the most common payment route for people who don't pay by direct debit. The forms allow you to share your bank details with your council safely, so it can put the £150 directly into your account. Some of the forms will require you to provide a unique code, and this'll likely be contained in a letter sent by your council – so keep a look out for that.
- A voucher to be redeemed at the post office. A number of councils have said they will send you a letter in the post containing a unique barcode that you'll be able to take to any of the UK's 11,500 post office branches to receive the £150.
- A cheque in the post for you to cash with your bank.Some council are offering to send households a cheque worth £150 to those who don't pay by direct debit. You'll be able to cash this at your usual bank or building society, or via its smartphone app.
If you have the option of filling in an online form but don't, your council will apply the £150 rebate as a credit to your council tax account – reducing your monthly bill. Deadlines for filling in the form will differ by council. But if you want the cash, complete the form as soon as you can.
The important thing is to check with your local authority in the first instance.
Anyone who is struggling with the rising costs – please contact your local council for support.
Additional free debt advice is widely available – any tenant of the Wrekin Housing Group can contact us on 01952 217234, or by emailing money.matters@wrekin.com
13th July 2022