Time running out to claim council tax rebate

Residents in Herefordshire who are eligible for a council tax rebate are being reminded time is running out to claim.

As part of the Government's initiative to help households with rising energy costs, there is a one-off £150 Council Tax rebate for certain households. Energy rebate payments must be paid by 30 September 2022 to all qualifying applicants.

Herefordshire Council are currently issuing payments to those eligible households who pay by Direct Debit. Most residents who pay their Council Tax by direct debit will have received their energy rebate now. If you have not yet paid your first Council Tax instalment by direct debit, the £150 will be paid into your bank account shortly after this payment has been taken.

Applications will close at midnight on Sunday 14 August 2022.

If you have not submitted an application by this date, your £150 energy rebate payment will be automatically credited to your Council Tax account by 30 September 2022. You will then receive a revised Council Tax bill detailing your reduced monthly instalment payments. If you have Council Tax arrears, the credit will reduce this balance first.

Please be patient while we process payments and do not contact us but keep checking this page for up-to-date information. We understand how important these payments are to you and we are working hard to distribute the rebates as quickly as possible.

If you are not entitled to the £150 rebate based on the above criteria, you may be eligible under our Discretionary Scheme.

An application form is currently being created for our Discretionary Scheme and this will be available no later than 31 July 2022. Discretionary payments must be made by 30 November 2022.

Please continue to check the website for updates and again we ask that you are patient and do not contact us asking how to apply or when your payment will be made.

Cllr Liz Harvey, Cabinet member for finance, corporate services and planning, said: “We understand how important these payments are to our residents and we will process the outstanding payments for the remaining households who can get them to us before 14 August.

“Answering phone calls and emails divert officers away from processing payments. So we ask that everyone please remain patient rather than contacting the Council to chase rebates.