HOUSEHOLDS should check their Council Tax band NOW to see if they can get £150 slashed off their bill.
This is because the Chancellor announced today that 15million people are in line to get a £150 council tax refund to help with a crippling cost of living crisis.
The help was announced as part of Rishi's emergency plan of action to support households who'll see their budgets squeezed due to a cost of living crisis.
But not all families will benefit from the rebate – it only applies to people in a number of lower Council Tax bands.
Everyone on bands A to D will get the rebate as the government is attempting to target people on both lower and middle incomes.
That means you'll need to check if you are eligible for the help – we explain how below.
The chancellor's speech came just hours after it was revealed the energy price cap was increased to £1,971 from £1,277, meaning millions of Brits will have to find an extra £693 a year to pay for their bills.
Bills are expected to hike even further later this year, when the price cap is expected to rise even further again in October.
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That's on top of price increases across the board from food, transport and fuel.
But while therefunds will be good news for millions of hard-up families, they could be hit with Council Tax bill increases by as much as5% in April.
? Read our Energy price cap live blog for the latest updates
That's because the government announced last year that local authorities could hike tax rates by up to 3% without a referendum.
Councils can up the rate even further by adding on an extra amount for social care services.
How to check your council tax band
Council Tax bands are based on how much your property was worth on:
- 1 April 1991, for England and Scotland
- 1 April 2003, for Wales
You can find out your Council Tax band by checking with your local authority or on the postcode checker.
You're charged a Council Tax rate based on the band you are in.
How do I get the £150 refund?
You are eligible for the £150 refund if you live in the lower Council Tax bands from A to D.
That means you won't get the help if you live in a more expensive home.
The government said to expect the refund from April.
You don't need to repay the discount.
What if I'm in the wrong band?
If you think you're in the wrong band after checking your Council Tax, then here's how to challenge it.
Thousands of families could be in the wrong band, so it's worth double checking.
As many as 400,000 homes are potentially paying the wrong amount, according to Martin Lewis' estimates.
If, while checking, you find you're on a higher Council Tax band compared to your neighbours, you may be able to successfully make a challenge.
To challenge yours, you can contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England and Wales or the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) in Scotland.
You must provide evidence to back up your claim – that can be the addresses of similar properties that are in a lower council tax band to yours, for example.
Challenging your Council Tax isn't guaranteed to get you money back and lower your bills.
If the valuation office agrees that your property is in the wrong band, it will contact you and the band will be changed.
But while you could get moved to a lower band and pay less, there's also the chance it could find you're not paying enough.
That could mean you're moved to a higher band.
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