£150 Council Tax Rebate
All schemes are now closed. This information is for reference only.
Update 2 October 2022
The application process for the discretionary scheme is now closed.
Update 5 September 2022
We are no longer accepting applications for the Energy Rebate Scheme for properties in bands A-D.
Update 15 August 2022
Earlier in the year, we put a discretionary scheme in place to support households who have been impacted by the cost of living crisis but were not eligible for the Government’s £150 Council Tax rebate. We still have some funding available, so have put together a second scheme. The criteria is aimed at those who we think will need it most. See full details of eligibility here.
£150 Council Tax Rebate
Households in Council Tax bands A-D are eligible to receive a non-repayable £150 Council Tax Rebate from the government to help households with rising energy bills. Cotswold District Council will be distributing the payments to everyone eligible within the district.
This rebate will not be taken off your Council Tax bill, but administered as a separate payment. Therefore you will not see it on your Council Tax bill for the 2022/23 financial year. A leaflet from the government explaining more about the rebate was included in your Council Tax bill: £150 rebate leaflet.
Before contacting us please check you are eligible for the rebate by visiting the Government Council Tax factsheet website . Please note the rebate is not eligible for second homes, empty properties, houses not in band A-D and those living in homes of multiple occupancy will not individually receive the rebate.
Please be aware we will never call you asking for your bank details. If you receive such a call, do not provide information.
For eligible residents who pay Council Tax by Direct Debit
Residents who pay Council Tax by Direct Debit will have the payment made directly into their bank accounts. So far we have paid over 18,000 households and more payments are due to go out over the coming weeks.
We will only be able to make the payment to people paying Council Tax by direct debit once we have received your first direct debit payment for 2022/23. If you have not yet made a payment on your direct debit, you will be paid the £150 within 10 working days of us receiving your first direct debit payment.
If you are eligible, have made your first Direct Debit Council Tax payment of the 2022/23 financial year and you have not received the £150 payment by mid-May please contact us.
For residents who do not pay Council Tax by direct debit
We would encourage all residents to set up an online direct debit payment which helps protect the environment and helps save taxpayer funds. You can find out more here: Manage your account / Set up online direct debit payments
If you do not pay via direct debit, and are eligible, we will be contacting you via letter providing information on how to apply for the payment. Once we have received all the required information we have to carry out a number of checks as set out by government to prevent fraud. We will be processing applications as fast as possible but these checks may delay payment.
If you do not pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit, please follow the 'how to apply' instructions below to make your application for the rebate.
How to apply
Eligible households are now able to submit an application for the energy rebate payment. You will not be able to complete the form if you are not eligible, so please ensure you have read the eligibility criteria.
Please follow the instructions carefully, provide all the information requested and check that all the details are correct before submitting the form.
The council is required to verify all bank details before making energy rebate payments.
You must have the following information available to complete the application form.
- Your Council Tax account reference which is displayed on your 2022-23 bill. The bill must cover the date of 1 April 2022
- Your bank account number and sort code, which must correspond to the person named on the Council Tax bill. The bank account must be in the name of the person liable for Council Tax who is completing the application. Please double check to ensure that the details have been entered correctly. Applications with incorrect details will be rejected and you will be required to complete a new application
- Your bank statement. We do not need to see transactions on the statement but we need to clearly see the name, address, account number and sort code. The bank account must be in the name of the Council Tax liable person who is completing the application. You will be required to upload the statement on the application form
- An email address
- You will be required to enter your first name and surname on the application form, which must match the name on your Council Tax account. If you get an error message about the name you will need to contact the Council Tax helpline on 01285 623033.
The online application will not allow you to proceed if you do not provide all of the required information. If the bank statement does not display the name, address, account number and sort code it will delay your application being processed and we may need to ask you to supply more information.
Once the application form is submitted you will receive an email confirming it has been received.
The government requires checks to be carried out to validate your bank account before payment can be made. These checks can take up to 15 working days to complete.
Provided the bank account checks are successful, payment will be made by BACS to your bank account. When the payment is made into your bank account it will have the description "CTAX ENERGY REBATE".
Please do not contact us in the meantime. Our energy rebate team will be working hard over the coming weeks to ensure that applications are processed as quickly as possible so that the payments can be made to eligible households.
Update 5 September 2022
We will no longer be accepting applications for the Energy Rebate Scheme for properties in bands A-D from the 4 September 2022.
Other information
To ensure that we continue to prevent fraud and loss to the public purse, we will not be providing details of Council Tax Account Numbers or related property information via the telephone or email. Residents can find their Council Tax Account Number and Property Valuation Band on their annual bill. See also: Find the Council Tax band for a property
Households can exercise their first right of appropriation on the £150 payment which means your bank can not use this payment to pay off any overdraft. A sample letter that households may wish to use to exercise their right of appropriation is available at https://www.nationaldebtline.org/sample-letters/ask-your-bank-pay-particular-bills/