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In council tax bands A-D and pay by direct debit? Check when your £150 energy rebate is coming
The vast majority of councils say that they've paid the £150 council tax rebate, a scheme launched in April to help tackle rising energy prices, to households that pay their bills by direct debit. If you haven't had yours yet, don't panic. Here's what you need to know.
Under the rebate scheme, councils are making a £150 non-repayable payment to households in council tax bands A to D in England, Scotland and Wales. This payment was expected to hit people's banks from April.
However, MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) research of 333 councils across England and Wales has found:
- There are 213 councils that said they'd pay direct debit users the rebate by the end of May. We've listed these councils below – and if yours is there but you haven't had your payment yet, get in touch with your local authority, as it's likely to have been an admin error.
- There are 22 councils that will pay direct debit users from June. So sit tight, it should be coming shortly. If you don't get it by the end of the month, contact your council.
- There are 98 councils that haven't given a cut-off date for when you'll receive your payment – though they have until 30 September 2022. If you've not heard anything, check to see if you can set up a direct debit to get a payment sooner rather than later. If it's too late for a direct debit, ask how you'll get your money instead.
Check our lists below to find out when your council expects to pay the rebate.
In Scotland meanwhile, all 32 councils have already made a full or partial payment. Here, all councils will offer the full £150 discount off one monthly council tax bill, or they'll debit it across the year's bills (which are typically broken down into 10 months). However, Aberdeenshire Council allows households to exchange their council tax discount for a cash refund if they wish to do so.
For more information on council tax and how some can lower their council tax band and save £1,000s, see our Council tax bands guide, which also includes details of council tax discounts you may not be claiming. You should also check if you've overpaid council tax as you may be due a refund.
Here are the 213 councils that said they'd pay you in May if you had a direct debit set up
Check the list below, and if you haven't got your payment it's likely due to an administrative error. This will usually be down to:
- Your council not being able to verify your bank account details.
- The names not matching on your council tax account and your bank account.
If you're concerned you've not received your money and haven't heard from your council to highlight any problems, it's best to contact your local authority to find out how you'll get your money.
For example, Leicester City Council's website states: "If the bank accounts are in different names to the council tax account, we will look to issue a Post Office voucher to you in an effort to get the payment to you as soon as we can."
Meanwhile, households that fall under Luton Borough Council will be "invited to complete a short online form" in this instance, and residents in the London borough of Lewisham should have been written to by the end of May.
The following 98 councils have given no fixed date for when payments will be made – and they technically have until 30 September 2022
MSE had urged households in February to set up a direct debit to pay their council tax bills. This meant councils had your bank account details on file to make the £150 payments quickly from April.
If you haven't done so and you haven't had your payment yet, you can triple-check with your council if you still can set up a direct debit, but it's likely to be too late now and you'll instead get your rebate another way.
Over 85 councils have so far launched online forms to allow households to pass on their bank account details, for example, while other local authorities say they will send cheques or Post Office vouchers.
The majority of councils state that they will issue the £150 rebate to those who don't pay by direct debit between June and September. And all rebate payments must be made by 30 September.
Beware cold callers asking for your details 'to pay you the rebate'
Households should continue to be vigilant and beware cold callers asking for their bank account details in relation to the £150 council tax rebate. Any calls about the rebate will almost certainly be a scam. See our Rebate scam MSE News story to learn what you can do to protect yourself from scammers.
The £150 is only available to those in certain council tax bands
Those living in properties banded E to H will have to wait until later in the year to see if they qualify for any cash. This is because local authorities are still clarifying eligibility for so-called "discretionary funding", which will see councils in England able to divvy up a pot worth £144 million to those deemed most vulnerable, and who may not be eligible for the main £150 rebate.
Funding has also been given to the devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales. Households don't pay council tax in Northern Ireland.
As it's up to your local authority to decide how the discretionary fund is distributed, it's best to keep checking its website so you'll be the first to know if you qualify.
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