Council Tax Support

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What is Council Tax Support?

Council Tax Support is a benefit applied to your Council Tax bill.

The amount of Council Tax Support you receive is based on your income band.

Check our Council Tax Support Scheme document 2024 to 2025 (PDF, 398KB)

Who can apply

You could get Council Tax Support if your property is in Barnet and you’re:

  • working and on a low income
  • claiming benefits
  • renting or own your home
  • a working age person with savings under £6,000
  • a pensioner with savings under £16,000

Check if you can get Council Tax Support using a benefits calculator

How to apply

Apply for Council Tax Support

How much support you can get

If you are of working age

You will pay a minimum contribution of 28% of your Council Tax bill.

The amount of Council Tax Support you can receive will depend on your monthly earnings. This is calculated in an income banding scheme.

The income banded system has levels of support from 0 to 72% depending on how much you earn.

Income Band

Monthly earnings

Maximum Council Tax Support discount claimant can receive

1

No earnings

72%

2

Up to £500

52%

3

£500.01 to £800

44%

4

£800.01 to £1100

36%

5

£1100.01 to £1400

28%

6

£1400.01 to £1700

20%

7

£1700.01 to £2000

12%

If you are self-employed

A self-employed person with a lower income than the national living wage will have their Council Tax Support calculated based on the national living wage.

Only your earnings will be used in the calculation of your Council Tax Support.

If you are not of working age

If you’re not of working age you could be in a protected group and get Council Tax Support.

Protected groups include:

  • war pensioners
  • war widowers
  • people who receive Armed Forces compensation scheme payments.

If you are living with a non-dependant person

A non-dependant is a person over the age of 18 who is not your partner.

Your Council Tax Support will be reduced where a non-dependant has:

  • an income between 0 and £199.99 (the claimant will receive £5 less Council Tax Support per week)
  • an income of £200 per week or more (the claimant will receive £11 per week less Council Tax Support).

The claimant will not receive this reduction if they or their partner get:

  • Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Carer Premium.

Once your Council Tax Support amount has been calculated, the total will then be amended to include any non-dependant reductions.

Help with your application

You can get help with new claims by telephone on 020 8359 2000 and with any other enquiries on 0208 359 2111

If your hearing is impaired, you can use Type Talk on 18001 020 8359 2000

Existing Council Tax Support claims

You can contact us if you need to:

  • provide evidence to support a claim 
  • find out more information about a claim
  • query a payment for an existing claim.

To complete the form, you'll need to provide:

  • contact details
  • your benefit claim number
  • enquiry details including photographs or scanned documents to provide us with evidence. 

Council Tax Support query form for claimants

Council Tax Support Fund Policy

Barnet have been allocated funding to support vulnerable residents with their Council Tax liabilities. This funding must be used to reduce the amount of Council Tax payable by eligible residents.

Check our Council Tax Support Fund Policy 2023 to 2024 (PDF, 148 KB)