Residents in Herefordshire will start to receive their Council Tax Rebate payments from today (2nd May), Herefordshire Council has confirmed.
As part of the government’s initiative to help households with rising energy costs, they have announced a one-off £150 Council Tax rebate for certain households.
Who will qualify?
- If you are a liable Council Tax payer in band A to D occupying the property on 1 April 2022
- If you are a liable Council Tax payer occupying the property on 1 April 2022 and are in band E but you are receiving disabled relief
- The property is exempt but solely occupied by students or school leavers, under 18s, severely mentally impaired or is an annexe occupied with dependant relatives
- If you receive Council Tax Reduction (even if you have no Council Tax to pay) and are in a band A to D (or E with disabled relief), you will still be entitled to the payment
Who will not qualify?
- Second homes
- Empty properties
- Exempt properties not listed in the qualifying section
If you don’t know which band your property is in, you can find it on your latest Council Tax bill or use the Valuation Office website to check.
Residents who pay their Council Tax by direct debit, will receive their energy rebate first. Once the first Council Tax payment for 2022/23 is paid, Herefordshire Council will use those details to process the payment straight into your bank account.
Payments to direct debit payers will start to be made week commencing 2 May 2022 and will show as ‘HC Energy Rebate’ in the description on bank statements.
Payment will only be made if a successful instalment to pay your Council Tax has been claimed already. Payments will be generated in batches over the next few weeks so please do not chase Herefordshire Council for payments at this stage.
If you already pay your Council Tax by direct debit, you do not need to do anything.
If you don’t already pay Council Tax by direct debit, you can sign up below. This means Herefordshire Council will then have your details ready for when they start making energy rebate payments.
Set up Council Tax direct debit
If you are eligible and don’t pay your Council Tax by direct debit, you will be contacted to complete an application form to select how you would like the payment. You will be able to choose from the following options:
- Have the payment made into your bank account (you will need to provide proof of your bank account upon application)
- Apply for a Post Office Pay Out voucher where you will receive a voucher which you can take to any Post Office and exchange for £150 cash (you will need to provide identification to the Post Office to obtain the payment)
- Request the £150 is credited to your Council Tax account (if you have Council Tax arrears, this will be offset against the arrears rather than against current liability)
More Information – Council Tax discounts and exemptions – Herefordshire Council
