Council Tax ?

Hi Jactac

I don`t qualify for any Council Tax reduction at all with MS. I may qualify for a small discount only if I looked into it.

It was my partner Dee who qualified. She has Dementia and through her benefits we qualified despite getting a final demand for £2150.

We got our Blue Badge through Dee as well because I dont qualify for that either. So having MS isnt regarded as a major disability in the land of benefits. Well try living with it then if you really want to know.

Just so you know Id rather be working and paying my way than being dictated to by the muppets in the land of benefits. Im a full time carer now despite my MS and while I can do the task, I will until I need extra help.

Can I ask, what is Attendance allowance, ESA, and how is it applied to a person with or without MS.

Also pension credits ?

I think my elderly father has pension credits, but what it is I just don’t know, again how is this applied ?

I pay my pension through my wages at work where I enquired about retiring early on ill health, but the sums offered were laughable, we are talking absolutely tiny amounts, less than £70 per week for a pension that I’ve been paying into for almost 35 years.

My wife has no pension, only the normal state pension when she retires at 66.

Like I say it’s a minefield trying to find out what one is entitled to.

Attendance allowance is what you try to move to from DLA/PIP once you hit retirement age. ESA replaced Incapacity Benefit for people too ill or disabled to work. Neither are specific to people with MS. You have to apply for them and then you probably have to fight to get what you think is reasonable. Don’t know much about Pension Credits. My mum was lucky. She was visited by a woman from what is now Age UK. The woman filled in a load of forms and mum ended up with Attendance Allowance, Pension Credits and heaven knows what else.

I suggest you search for information you require. It`s a pain and it is a minefield, but I only found the answers to my questions through hard work and research. Everything is so secretive and if they can save a few pennies by not giving you what you are entitled to they will. Thousands of people must go without as it is so complicated.

What we could do with here is a section covering benefits and whats available and how to apply. I dont know if that would be allowed. One thing Ive noticed here is that the benefits system isnt talked about or mentioned. Why?

I’m feeling most miffed at the moment. I rang the council last week to apply for sole adult discount. My youngest has been at university for the last 3 years but now she’s planning on staying there permanently. Should be an easy job you’d think? Ring em up - tell em you want sold adult discount.

Not so - you can’t tell them anything on the phone any more - you have to go online and fill out a form. A 58 (YES 58) page online form. Put my whole life history on there…including bank accounts and how much i’ve got in them etc. etc. etc. Given that the sole person discount is not income related in any way this annoys me. They also want me to take paper evidence into the offices to prove all the above. But this discount does not in any way depend on how much money i’ve got. Dear god it makes me so angry even when i’m feeling well!!

I’m going to try and ring them again - last time I did a couple of days ago I was told there could be a 20 minute wait before I got through to a real live person! Sod that for a game of ludo!!!

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You should get at least 25% discount as a single person. Any additions to that will depend on your circumstances.

I don`t know about the form filling side of things but I know about the endless phone calls, proof of illnesses, stress talking to the cabbages on the phone.

I got there in the end but it was bloody hard work. It should be a lot easier. I bet a lot of people give up and I can`t blame them.

Can I just mention something Cheerful says.

It`s about AA…you dont move onto it from DLA/PIP when you reach retirement age.

If you apply for and get DLA/PIP before retirement age, you stay on it past state pension age.

AA is claimed once someone is past retirement gae, if they`ve not been on DLA/PIP.

pollsx

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Council Tax is applied to each separate property and the owner or tenant will be billed, or if you are a member of a couple, or share ownership or a tenancy, you will be jointly billed.

There are various discounts available from Council Tax. A 25% discount if you live alone (i.e. are the only adult resident in the property for which the bill is charged). Then there’s a discount for the disabled. This only applies if you either use a wheelchair indoors, or have to have a special room because of the nature of your disability. This could be having to have a downstairs bathroom (i.e. a second bathroom) because you can’t get up stairs, or a room for dialysis, or a separate bedroom for your partner because of equipment needed in the bedroom, or needing an extra room for some other reason related to your disability. A discount form should be fairly straightforward. A disability discount would ordinarily necessitate a visit from a Council Tax officer. Information about your income would not form part of such a form.

Council Tax Benefit on the other hand is all about your income. If you receive certain benefits, the Guarantee type of Pension Credit being one of these (or income support or income related ESA), then you’d quality for 100% benefit (unless you have adults living with you apart from a partner, maybe adult children, then you might have a non dependant reduction to any benefit you receive). Or if you are on a low income (such as low wages, state pension, Tax Credits, the Savings type of Pension Credit or contribution based ESA) then you could be entitled to Council Tax Benefit, but it may not be 100%, so you might still have to pay something towards Council Tax.

To qualify for Council Tax Benefit, you have to make a claim for it. The best way to do this is to contact your local council. The form can be quite long and will take your savings as well as your income into account (unless you have a benefit which entitles you to 100%). When it relates to benefits, your income together with your partners, will be counted (asking you have one).

Sue