To calculate what your Council Tax Support payment will be, we compare your finances (income and capital) to your ‘applicable amount’. The ’applicable amount’ reflects the basic living needs of your household.

The payment is based on your age and circumstances.

We'll look at the money you and your partner have coming in, including:

• earnings
• some benefits
• Universal Credit award
• Tax Credits pensions
• your savings (and your partner's savings), including:
  • money you have in your bank or building society accounts
  • assets (such as property or land)
  • stocks, shares and premium bonds

We'll also look at your circumstances, such as:

• your age
• the number of people in your household and their ages
• if you or any of your family are disabled

How much of War Pension income is taken into account in the income calculation

We have resolved to fully disregard income received from (prescribed) War Disablement pension and (prescribed) War Widows (Widowers) pension for both claimant and partner when calculating Council Tax Support, as detailed in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, Council Tax Reduction (Support) Scheme.

Non-dependants

A non-dependant is someone aged 18 or over who lives with you but is not a tenant or a lodger. For example, a grown-up son or daughter who lives at home.

In most cases, we’ll make a deduction from your Council Tax Support because we expect that your non-dependants will help towards housing costs, whether they do or not.

The amount we take will be decided based on their gross income.

Our non-dependants deductions leaflet has more information.

How much you will get

You may get help with all or part of your Council Tax. There’s no set amount of Council Tax Support and what you get will depend on your age and circumstances.

Weekly eligible Council Tax

Council Tax is a daily charge. The eligible Council Tax charge we use to calculate your Council Tax Support is the annual Council Tax charge (after any discounts or exemptions), divided by 365 days (366 in a leap year) and multiplied by 7.

Most people who are of working age that make a claim for Council Tax Support will have to pay a minimum contribution towards their Council Tax, the amount will depend on your local council’s policy for where you live.

Council Tax Support policy

The full Council Tax charge (100%) is used to work out a person’s Council Tax Support if they:

• are of State Pension Credit age

or

• receive War Disablement Pension, War Widows Pension or War Widows Disablement Pension

or

• receive a Disability Premium, Enhanced Disability Premium, Severe Disability Premium, Disabled Child Premium, Carer Premium, or Support Component within their Employment and Support Allowance

or

• receive Universal Credit, not a pensioner, in receipt of (or their partner is) an income or premium listed above or within Universal Credit, the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity Element (LCWRA Element).

Find out more and read our Council Tax Support policy.

Please contact us for any help you need with Council Tax Support.