Extra help with your Council Tax bill

Council Tax Support Fund 2023/24 now closed

Birmingham City Council was provided with £3.04m of a Council Tax Support Fund (announced by the government alongside the 2023/24 provisional Local Government Finance Settlement) to enable councils to support the most vulnerable households in England in 2023 to 2024.

The majority of funding was used to reduce bills for current working age and pension age Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) households by up to £25 where they have a council tax bill to pay. Councils were permitted to use remaining funds to support vulnerable households with council tax bills via their own locally agreed discretionary scheme.

Birmingham City Council’s discretionary policy provided a discretionary top up award of up to £30 where there was balance to pay.

The Council Tax Support Fund award and Discretionary award have been automatically applied to eligible households and appears on your Council Tax bill for 2023/24 as ‘Council Tax Support Award’ reducing the balance to pay by up to £25 or Additional Council Tax Support Award reducing any remaining balance to pay by up £30.

As Birmingham City Council’s fund has now been paid out no further awards can be made for 2023/24.

Discretionary Hardship Payments

If you continue to experience extreme financial difficulty there is a Council Tax Support Discretionary Hardship Payment scheme to further help claimants who are struggling to pay their Council Tax bill.

Apply for a Council Tax Support Discretionary Hardship Payment

You can also view the policy framework

You must continue to pay your Council Tax bill by the due dates while your claim is being processed.

Page last updated: 3 August 2023