Backdating your Council Tax reduction
How do I qualify to backdate my Council Tax Reduction?
If you have reached the qualifying age to claim State Pension Credit, you can backdate your entitlement. This is up to 3 months from the date you make your claim. You do not have to apply for backdating. You may have to supply details of your income and capital for the period concerned. You can only backdate your entitlement up to 26 weeks from the date of your request.
To backdate your application, you must show:
- A good cause for failing to apply earlier.
- A good cause existed during the period for which you are requesting backdating.
We must be sure why a person of your age/experience failed to apply. You have to prove good cause. We take account of all the facts of your case.
Some examples of when you may have good cause are:
- You did not immediately apply for a reduction after leaving hospital.
- You were ill and had no-one to make an application for you.
- You did not understand that you could apply for a reduction. This may be because of age, inexperience, or language difficulties.
- You have suffered a recent family bereavement.
Make an application to backdate your Council Tax Reduction
You can do this by writing to the Benefits Team using the contact details below.
What happens when I make an application to backdate Council Tax Reduction?
The Benefits Team will consider your application. The more information and evidence you give, the quicker the decision. We may write to you for more information. We may need to ask you to come in for an informal interview. We will look at your application within 21 days. We will send you a letter telling you of our decision. If we decide that you have not shown good cause, we will explain this in our letter. You have the right of appeal against our decision.