Council Tax energy rebate payments to start in May

Earlier this year, the government announced support to help with rising energy bills, including a one-off payment of £150 to households in Council Tax bands A to D, and a discretionary fund for residents in higher band properties.

People will not need to pay it back and it will not be treated as income for tax, or benefit purposes.

When and how people receive the rebate depends on how they pay their Council Tax:

Direct Debit households
Households that pay by Direct Debit can expect to have the money paid into their bank accounts during May.

Other households
Other eligible households will be written to, starting in May, inviting them to apply online for their rebate and provide the bank details to receive payment.

Discretionary fund
If a household is not eligible for the £150 rebate because it is in Council Tax bands E to H, there may be help available through a discretionary fund. More information about the criteria, and how to apply will be provided in the coming weeks.

Who qualifies?
The Government has said you must be liable for Council Tax and have lived in a property within Council Tax bands A to D on 1 April 2022. This includes a property that is valued in band E, but has an alternative valuation band D as a result of the disabled band reduction scheme. It must be your sole or main residence – second homes and empty properties are not eligible.

It must be a chargeable dwelling, or in the following exemption classes:

• N (wholly occupied by students)
• S (wholly occupied by residents under 18)
• U (occupied by residents who are severely mentally impaired)
• W (one of two dwellings in a single property occupied by a dependant relative of a person living in another
  dwelling in the property)

The person who is liable to pay the Council Tax (or would be were the property not exempt) is not a local authority, a corporate body, or other body such as a housing association, the government, or governmental body.

More information is available online at www.liverpool.gov.uk/counciltaxenergyrebate

Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Jane Corbett, said:

“Everyone is being impacted by the sharp rise in energy bills and a large number of people across the city will be eligible for this financial support from the government.

“Our staff are working really hard to put in place the necessary systems and procedures to make the rebate procedure as simple and efficient as it can be.

“If you pay by Direct Debit, you do not need to do anything – you will be paid a refund during the month of May, although we can’t say exactly when, because we are processing the payments in batches.

“Everyone else should look out for the letter coming through their door explaining how they can apply online. We will be putting in place alternative procedures for people without internet access.

“We do know there are some families living in larger properties in Bands E to H that will also be struggling, so in the near future we will be releasing details of a discretionary scheme that they may be eligible to apply for.”