Southampton City Council is starting to pay out the council tax rebate from the government

Households are starting to receive their £150 council tax rebate this week

95,000 families are eligible to get the payment, which is aimed at helping those with properties in council tax bands A to D with the rising cost of energy bills.

To be eligible for the rebate, residents must:

• Live in a household in council tax bands A to D on 1 April 2022, or
• Live in a household in council tax band E but which has an alternative valuation band of D due to the disabled relief scheme on 1 April 2022

The property must be someone’s sole or main residence and a chargeable dwelling, or in any of the following exemption classes:

• Class N (property occupied solely by full time students)
• Class S (property occupied by people under the age of 18)
• Class U (occupied by someone who's severely mentally impaired) 
• Class W (annexes occupied by dependent relatives)

Only one payment can be made for each household/property in the council tax list. Households must be liable or jointly liable for the council tax property the rebate is being claimed for.

There are different ways for residents to receive the rebate, depending on how they pay their council tax.

If they pay their council tax by Direct Debit

Payments will be made directly into their account from 27 April 2022. Payment will be made automatically into a liable or jointly liable person’s bank account, which must be the same account that the council tax payment is being made from. This payment will show in bank accounts in up to three working days.

If they don't pay by Direct Debit

We will start sending letters from 27 April 2022 with a bar code that residents can take to their local post office, with identification, and they will receive £150 in cash. If the payment is not cashed within 28 days, the council will credit their council tax account with the sum of £150. 

If they are on council tax support

If a property is in council tax band E to H and residents are on council tax support, they will also receive a payment of £150 through the methods outlined above.

If they do not pay council tax

There will be a discretionary scheme for households that do not pay council tax and full details of this scheme will be available from 3 May 2022.