Martin lewis urges 'four checks' for anyone paying council tax as thousands owed

THERE ARE FOUR REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT BE OWED THOUSANDS BACK FROM COUNCIL TAX, ACCORDING TO MARTIN LEWIS 14:46, 04 Jun 2025Updated 16:13, 04 Jun 2025 Martin Lewis has said thousands of people

could be owed '£1,000s back' from Council Tax due to overpaying. The Money Saving Expert said there are "four crucial reductions to explore." There are four different

ways in which people may be overpaying their council tax without realising and Mr Lewis is advising people to check if they are eligible for a discount using his guide on

MoneySavingExpert.com. The circumstances he lists for those who could be owed money back from Council Tax are: if you're in too high a band, if you are missing a discount, if

you're due support because you're on a low income or if you're owed Council Tax credit back. The advice comes just weeks after Martin Lewis went on Good Morning Britain to

speak with Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden about the "most vicious, aggressive and damaging form of debt collection" - and it was revealed that the government is

launching a consultation on changes. Yesterday, June 3, when Mr Lewis issued his Council Tax advice in his latest newsletter, he said: "There's a lot wrong with Council Tax -

unsurprisingly, as in England & Scotland, we still rely on a supposedly stopgap valuation done 34 years ago, to dictate what band a home's in even though much of the country is now

unrecognisable compared to then. "Yet there is some hope. A fortnight ago, while interviewing cabinet minister Pat McFadden on Good Morning Britain, I questioned him about the

counter-productive Council Tax debt collection methods used by many councils (so aggressive, they'd make the banks blush!). Article continues below "He replied that the Govt would

soon launch a Council Tax consultation (Eng), and to my delight promised me he'd ensure preventing the rapid escalation of debt collection would go in it (currently, within 6wks, you

can go from missing a monthly payment to bailiffs wanting a year's money, plus costs). I even recorded an admittedly teary video after a win on such a destructive issue." Below is

his advice on how to see if you could save money on your Council Tax by looking at the four reduction types. TOO HIGH A BAND FOR COUNCIL TAX According to Mr. Lewis there are up to 400,000

homes in too a high a band that are subsequently overpaying. This is because in England and Scotland the valuation was done back in 1991, as a stopgap to urgently set the system up, via 2nd

gear valuations - which was often estate agents driving past homes to classify them. COUNCIL TAX DISCOUNTS Certain people may be due a Council Tax discount, such as single adults, carers,

students and those with Severe Mental Impairments. For example, you may be about to get a discount if your property has been adapted for someone with a disability. You could drop a Council

Tax band, though this has to be reconfirmed each year. If you're a single person living alone you could get a 25% discount on your bill. In general you may get a discount if your living

situation isn't two or more qualifying adults living in the property - as this is what the bill is based on. For full time students there's no Council Tax bill at all and if you

have a live-in carer you may be able to reduce your bill by 50%. LOWER INCOME COUNCIL TAX SUPPORT According to Mr. Lewis, up to 2.25 million people on lower incomes miss out on Council Tax

Support worth up to £1,500 a year. Separate from discounts, every council runs its own Council Tax Reduction scheme, so what you get depends on where you live, but it can cut your Council

Tax bill by up to 100%, though it varies by council. If you already qualify for a means-tested benefit, such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit, you may be due this - but even if

you're entitled to it you won't get it automatically and must apply. REFUNDS FOR OVERPAID COUNCIL TAX There are around 808,000 homes due a cut of the £141 million that local

authorities across Britain have in overpaid Council Tax. Article continues below Those most likely to be able to claim are those who have moved out of a council area since 1993 and

weren't paying by Direct Debit. _JOIN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS __WHATSAPP__ GROUP _HERE To see Martin Lewis' Council Tax guide in full, including how to calculate if you're

paying too much and how to challenge your Council Tax, click here.