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 Application Form.

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 Application Form. 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.

We only accept original documents. We will retain any original documents provided for 6 weeks prior to them being securely disposed of.

If you require your original documents returned to you, you must request this when submitting the documents or within the 6 week period.

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 Change in Circumstances page.

Can I get any additional help?

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

What if I don't agree with the decision?

You must write to us within 2 months of the initial decision.

The request for review must state the reasons why you think the council tax reduction decision is incorrect.

We will consider your request and reply with a decision in writing within 2 months.

Requests for a review of council tax reduction should be sent to:

Glasgow City Council
PO Box 36
Glasgow
G1 1JE

Can I appeal against this decision?

You can appeal to the Local Taxation Chamber if either of these conditions is met:

we have given you our decision on your request for a review and you wish to dispute that decision; you must appeal within 42 days of getting our decision on your request for a review
we have not given you our decision on your request for a review and it's been 2 months since you requested it; you must appeal as soon as possible

If you want to appeal, you must: