Council Tax Energy Rebate

Discretionary Payment Scheme

The Discretionary Payment Scheme is now closed. 

On 3rd February 2022 the UK Government announced measures to help protect millions of households from rising energy costs. This included a £150 council tax energy rebate

The Government provided funding for local Councils to give all households in England, whose primary residence is valued in council tax bands A to D on 1st April 2022, a one-off cash payment of £150.

This payment operates outside of the council tax system, using the council tax database to identify eligible households - this is not a council tax discount.

There is only one rebate for each household, and eligibility is determined based on the position at the end of the day on 1st April 2022.  A ‘household’ is a person or a group of people occupying a single property. 

The £150.00 energy rebate does not have to be repaid unless you are identified as not being the eligible party at the end of the day of 1st April 2022 at the property where we have you registered.  

Therefore, if you have not informed us that you moved on or before 1st April 2022, you may have to repay any Energy Rebate issued.
 

Eligibility for this scheme

In order to be eligible for the scheme you must be the liable Council Tax payer and meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. The property must be in Council Tax Banding A – D on 1st April 2022

a. This will include any band E properties which have been reduced to a Band D under the disabled band reduction scheme
b. Any changes to the Council Tax Banding after 1st April 2022 are ignored for the purpose of this scheme; 

i. The only exceptions to (b) are new build properties which are waiting for an official banding from the Valuation office, as eligibility will be determined based on the official band where this has an effective date on or before 1st April 2022

ii. Payments will not be made in b (i) where the official band is notified to the Council after 30th September 2022. 

2. Must be your sole or main residence, this means that;

a. Empty properties do not qualify
b. Second Homes do not qualify 
c. Customers on full council tax support will qualify.  

3. The property must be a chargeable dwelling, or exempt under Classes N, S, U or W of the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings Order) 1992:

a. Class N - occupied by students 
b. Class S - occupied by persons under 18 only
c. Class U - occupied by persons severely mentally impaired
d. Class W - an annexe occupied by a dependent relative of the main dwelling.

4. For properties classified as House in Multiple occupation/in the name of the Landlord:

No one is eligible for the £150.00 energy rebate under this scheme (even if the property is in class N).

Payments

From week-commencing 25th April 2022, we started to make payment to customers who pay Council Tax by direct debit as we hold current bank details for these residents. From the end of May we began issuing our letters to customers who did not pay by direct debit.

There are more than 40,000 households who are eligible for this payment and a number of different departments in the Council have pulled together to check accounts and identify eligible residents.

The government has stated all payments need to be processed by the end of September 2022, however the majority of customers have now either had a letter or been paid.

*We will not pay to bank account details where the bank account is in a different name to the Council Tax payer.

We will take all reasonable steps to obtain the bank details of all customers who are eligible for the scheme. However, where we have been unable to obtain these bank details, we will pay the £150 rebate onto your council tax account to ensure that you do not miss out.

You can still request a refund at a later date.
 

Council Tax Energy Rebate - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For further information on the rebate scheme please read our Council Tax Energy Rebate Frequently Asked Questions.

 

Can I appeal against my property’s valuation band?

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) values domestic properties for council tax. This valuation is used to set your council tax band. You might need to contact the VOA if you think your council tax band is wrong.

You can find out more about when you can challenge your band and what you need to do at gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band. If you challenge your band, you must continue to pay council tax at your current band until your appeal is decided.

You can contact the VOA at gov.uk/contact-voa

If you are unable to use the online service, call  the VOA on 03000 501 501


City of Lincoln Council have now paid almost 33,000 Council Tax Energy Rebate payments:

  • If you pay your council tax by direct debit, the Council will have bank account details to make payment to you. Please check your bank account before contacting us. We have been making payments since the end of April 2022 and your rebate could already be in your bank account
  • We have also sent letters to direct debit customers. If the name on the Council Tax account does not match the name on the bank account or if you do not reply to the letter, or make an application online, we will add the £150 Energy Rebate credit onto your Council Tax account before the cut off date of 30th September 2022
  • We have sent out letters to our customers who do not pay by direct debit. You will need a copy of your Council Tax Bill for the reference number, and the letter sent to you has a keycode – you must use both to make a claim online for the Energy Rebate. Please check your bank account details carefully before sending them to us
  • If we cannot verify your bank details, we will add the £150 Energy Rebate credit onto your Council Tax account
  • Customers who get Council Tax Support are still eligible to claim the £150 Energy Rebate.

This page was updated on 16 November 2022.