Council Tax Reduction

Council tax reduction can help towards your Council Tax bill if you are unemployed or on a low income. 

What will I get?

The amount you receive will depend on your income and household circumstances. You can find out what you will be entitled to by using the Council Tax reduction calculator .

You will still be liable to pay your water and waste water charges as these are not included in council tax reduction.

Who can apply?

You must be the person who should pay council tax for the property. For more information about who is responsible for paying council tax, please visit the Scottish Government website.

How do I apply?

You can apply using our Council Tax Reduction application. Please also see our Privacy Statement.

Once you submit your application, we will contact you to let you know if you qualify.

What proof do I need?

The level of evidence you need to provide depends on your income and circumstances. We may ask for the following evidence to support your application:

• You (and your partner's) identity and National Insurance number.
• Where you live.
• Your rent.
• You (and your partner's) income.
• Savings & investments (you may still qualify even if you have savings).
• Occupational pension (and partner's).
• The circumstances of other people who live with you.

Please do not delay in applying for benefit whilst waiting for any of the information listed above.

If you need to send documents to support your Council Tax Reduction or Housing Benefit application you can do this:

• Online through our Housing Benefit/Council Tax Reduction contact form
• By email as an attachment to Hben.Central@glasgow.gov.uk
  • If you send a photograph of a document as an attachment, please ensure the contents can be clearly read
• By post to: Council Tax and Housing Benefit Service, PO Box 36, Glasgow, G1 1JE

When sending documents, please make sure you also provide the following information:

• Your name
• Your postal address
• Your National Insurance number
• Your contact telephone number
• Your email address (where possible)

Can my claim be backdated?

In certain circumstances, we may backdate your application for council tax reduction to a date before you made your application.

All requests for backdating must be made in writing and you must show good cause as to why you could not apply on time.

Applications from working age customers may only be backdated for a maximum of 6 months.

Applications from people of pension credit age should automatically be backdated for up to three months providing you or your partner did not receive income support, income based jobseekers allowance or income related employment & support allowance.  Pension age claimants are not required to provide reasons for not applying sooner.

What if my income or circumstances change?

In order to avoid overpayments and potentially court proceedings it is important that you tell us of any changes in your circumstances. By telling us you will help us keep your council tax reduction right.  For more information, please visit the report a change in circumstance page.

Can I get any additional help?

If you qualify for council tax reduction, you may also be entitled to other help such as:

• Education Maintenance Allowance
• Clothing Grants and Free School Meals
• Free School Transport for Catchment School
• Funeral Support Payment

What if I don't agree with the determination?

You must write to us within 2 months of the initial determination and request a review.

Your request must state the reasons why you think the determination is incorrect.

We will consider your request and reply to you in writing within 2 months.

Review requests can be sent by post to:

Glasgow City Council
PO Box 36
Glasgow
G1 1JE

They can also be sent by e-mail to Appeals@glasgow.gov.uk 

What if I'm unhappy with the outcome of my review request?

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving a decision on your review request, you can seek an independent ruling from the Local Taxation Chamber.

A ruling by the Local Taxation Chamber should only be requested after we have carried out an internal review.

The only exception to this would be if you had not received a written response from us within 2 months of requesting a review.

Applications should be made directly by you or your representative in writing to:

Local Taxation Chamber

Bothwell House

First Floor

Hamilton Business Park

Caird Park

Hamilton ML3 0QA

The Local Taxation Chamber can also be contacted by phone on 01698 390012 and by e-mail to: LTCAdmin@scotcourtstribunals.gov.uk