You may be eligible for help to pay your Council Tax if you are on a low income.
Apply for Council Tax Reduction
You can use the online form to calculate what you may be entitled to and make a claim.
The first part of the form calculates an amount that you may be eligible to receive. You can then continue to make a claim.
You may also need to provide original documents as proof of your identification, national insurance number, income, and savings.
You only need to complete this form if:
- You have never claimed Council Tax Reduction before in Oldham
- You do not already receive Council Tax Reduction in Oldham
If your Council Tax Reduction claim is currently suspended please complete the change of circumstances form.
Eligibility
To qualify, you must be:
- On a low income
- Responsible for paying Council Tax
Anyone can make a claim, but if your income or savings are more than £16,000 you may not be eligible.
If you are entitled to Universal Credit and are liable to pay Council Tax, you may be eligible for Council Tax Reduction.
Oldham Council is responsible for awarding Council Tax Reduction and you must claim this separately from Universal Credit.
Change of circumstances
You must tell the council if any of your circumstances change.
Report a change of circumstances
You need to complete this form if you currently claim Council Tax Reduction in Oldham and:
- You no longer require benefit
- You have moved or are moving address within the borough
- You/your partner have had a change in income
- Your Council Tax Reduction is currently suspended due to you/your partner’s DWP benefits ending. (You will need to advise us of you/your partners income since your benefit ended e.g. wages, hardship payments, no income)
- You have had a change in household members
- Any other changes e.g. if you want to change who we pay benefits to (partner/spouse), a change in bank account details, a change in your property, a change of capital
Appeals
You can appeal your award of Council Tax Reduction if you feel that the decision is wrong.
You must appeal in writing to the Benefits Team:
You should receive a reply within 2 months.
If you are still unhappy with the outcome of your appeal or have not had a reply within 4 months of submitting your appeal, you can appeal directly to the Valuation Tribunal
Regulations
Download the procedural guide used to calculate Council Tax Reduction