| Council Tax rebates 16:43 - May 16 with 995 views | STYG |
Anyone else had an absolute mare with this over the last week.
Council tax is the only thing I don't pay by direct debit, since they once took two payments in a month (no idea how that's even possible) and it took me almost 25 days to get it back (in the end I may as well have left it 6 more days and left it as next months!).
So I don't get the £150 rebate automatically and am supposed to fill out a form to get a payment made to me. The website won't work because, even though I am Band D and entitled to it, one house in our street is Band E. So rather than make the refund based on the council tax account number they've apparently done it off the postcode, which won't work when a neighbour isn't eligable.
They've been engaged for a week. Called probably 4-5 times a day and today was the first time I got through. I had expected to be able to explain the above issue so they could bypass the system error and make the payment but it turns out the woman on the phone was just actually trying to fill in the same form for me, which of course won't work for her either. No powers to override anything.
So I will instead get £150 credit paid into my account automatically next month. It is not a problem at all, although would have been helpful this month, but it's just another balls up and indicative of council / government, wherever the issue lays.
Quick to take your money and they'll no doubt be threatening letters 14 days after you've missed a payment, but when they owe you money, there's no way of getting through or the technology is not fit for purpose.
So if anyone else is having same postcode issue on the website, seems there's nothing you can do and hopefully I have saved you time on the phone! |  | | |  |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:52 - May 16 with 927 views | aardvaark |
Yeah, same.
I had the letter on Saturday, and am pretty internet-savvy, but could not find anywhere on HOW to claim the £150. In the end I gave up and have asked my know-it-all 20 year old son to see if he can do it....Ringing i haven't tried but it sounds awful. |  |
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| Council Tax rebates on 16:53 - May 16 with 920 views | SaleAway |
My wife works for a local council, and this has been driving her up the wall. As usual with this government, they announced a policy, and then threw it over the wall to local councils to implement. Each council has now had to implement a claiming method, and as you have found out, its not simple to do, especially quickly and under pressure.
Annoyingly of course, the main problems are for those who don't pay by DD, which is often the less well off members of society, who probably need the rebate more.
Chalk another one up to S**t tory government. | |
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| Council Tax rebates on 16:54 - May 16 with 916 views | clive_baker |
I'm a bit p1ssed off because my house is band E which I don't really understand. Based on it's market value in 600 BC or some b0llocks, so as well as paying more every month I don't get a rebate. |  |
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| Council Tax rebates on 16:54 - May 16 with 908 views | STYG |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:52 - May 16 by aardvaark |
Yeah, same.
I had the letter on Saturday, and am pretty internet-savvy, but could not find anywhere on HOW to claim the £150. In the end I gave up and have asked my know-it-all 20 year old son to see if he can do it....Ringing i haven't tried but it sounds awful. |
If you go to the council website there is a link to the form, but it's not actually working today either, I was just told.
The woman I spoke to was very polite and apologetic but not exactly helpful. She also told me to try calling out of hours because they are very busy in the day. Out of hours they have a message saying it's out of hours, as I did try and call the other evening just in case. Presumably something she should be aware of.
Try again tomorrow in case the form is working. If everyone in your road is between A-D then it should apparently work. Any trouble give me a shout with the name of the council tax authority and I can find you the link if you can't locate it (assuming your council has provided one - I'm East Suffolk). | | | |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:59 - May 16 with 887 views | STYG |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:54 - May 16 by clive_baker |
I'm a bit p1ssed off because my house is band E which I don't really understand. Based on it's market value in 600 BC or some b0llocks, so as well as paying more every month I don't get a rebate. |
The bands themselves seem to be a bit all over the place. As I say, one house in our road is E but it's smaller (overall and bedrooms) than another house which is D.
https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands
Having just checked it's based on the 1991 value! So what happens if you build an extension and add three more bedrooms? You stay with the 1991 band?
Also, 31 years ago? Not even 5 years ago or 10. But 31! | | | |
| Council Tax rebates on 17:16 - May 16 with 840 views | blue62 |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:54 - May 16 by clive_baker |
I'm a bit p1ssed off because my house is band E which I don't really understand. Based on it's market value in 600 BC or some b0llocks, so as well as paying more every month I don't get a rebate. |
Yup, same think I'm paying enough for band Z or maybe the whole street. Everyone should get a rebate not just some. Or means test it rather than the size of your! |  | | |
| Council Tax rebates on 17:30 - May 16 with 790 views | ElderGrizzly |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:59 - May 16 by STYG |
The bands themselves seem to be a bit all over the place. As I say, one house in our road is E but it's smaller (overall and bedrooms) than another house which is D.
https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands
Having just checked it's based on the 1991 value! So what happens if you build an extension and add three more bedrooms? You stay with the 1991 band?
Also, 31 years ago? Not even 5 years ago or 10. But 31! |
They keep threatening to redo Council Tax banding, but it isn't politically sensible with Tory voters. So they haven't.
I don't understand the postcode logic either mentioned earlier. Houses near me have 6 bedroom houses with 2 bedroom houses 2 doors down.
I wonder if the local council get to keep any non-claims from the pot given by the Govt? |  | | |
| Council Tax rebates on 17:32 - May 16 with 781 views | clive_baker |
| Council Tax rebates on 17:16 - May 16 by blue62 |
Yup, same think I'm paying enough for band Z or maybe the whole street. Everyone should get a rebate not just some. Or means test it rather than the size of your! |
Quite. I get that it's hard to have a 1 size fits all approach, but given how BS the banding system is it's a dreadfully designed sceme. I would imagine there many Band D properties in Chelsea and elsewhere worth millions. | |
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| Council Tax rebates on 17:47 - May 16 with 744 views | Oldsmoker |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:52 - May 16 by aardvaark |
Yeah, same.
I had the letter on Saturday, and am pretty internet-savvy, but could not find anywhere on HOW to claim the £150. In the end I gave up and have asked my know-it-all 20 year old son to see if he can do it....Ringing i haven't tried but it sounds awful. |
Non DD payers won't be processed until September by my Council.
I daren't switch to DD in the hope I get the rebate early 'cos they might have already finalised the DD list.
Sods Law says I won't be on either list if I switch.
Reply to OP not Aardvaark [Post edited 16 May 2022 17:50]
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| Council Tax rebates on 17:54 - May 16 with 733 views | FoD_Blue |
| Council Tax rebates on 16:59 - May 16 by STYG |
The bands themselves seem to be a bit all over the place. As I say, one house in our road is E but it's smaller (overall and bedrooms) than another house which is D.
https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands
Having just checked it's based on the 1991 value! So what happens if you build an extension and add three more bedrooms? You stay with the 1991 band?
Also, 31 years ago? Not even 5 years ago or 10. But 31! |
If you build an extension or make any other home improvement, nothing happens at all....
Until you sell the house. The house is then assessed again as part of the sale (or should be) and if the 1991 rateable value is deemed to have increased (or decreased if you knocked part of the house down) then the tax band is readjusted.
We have just found this out. Two weeks ago we received our £150 rebate then last week we received a letter that our house is being reassesed due to improvements that were made by the previous owner. So our £150 rebate has now turned into a £250 annual increase.
We bought the house about 3 years ago, so it stinks of the council suddenly checking histories to try to claw back money anywhere they can. We now find ourselves in a position where our house is one of the smallest in our street, but is also in the highest council tax band for the street. | | | |
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