Frequently asked questions about energy bill rebate

Households are eligible where, on 1 April 2022, they are liable for Council Tax on a property which is in Council Tax bands A-D and which they live in as their main home. This includes those who receive Local Council Tax Support, even if their Council Tax bill for the year is less than £150.

Where the occupants of a property in bands A - D are exempt from Council Tax on 1 April 2022, they will also be eligible if the property falls in one of the following classes of exemption: Class N (students – other than HMOs for Council Tax purposes), Class S (under 18s), Class U (people with a severe mental impairment), Class W (annexes occupied by a dependent relative).

As we have already started making payments to those that pay by direct debit, it’s now not possible to receive an automatic payment. You can still sign up to direct debit, but you will also need to make a claim for a rebate. By paying your Council Tax by Direct Debit you can choose from six payment dates.

Households can exercise their first right of appropriation on the £150 payment, so your bank does not use it to pay off any overdrafts you may have. A sample letter that households may wish to use to exercise their right of appropriation is available on the National Debt website.

The rebate will be provided as a separate payment, rather than as part of your Council Tax bill. This allows the support to be provided to households more quickly, rather than the benefit being spread as a discount across the usual 10 or 12 Council Tax bill instalments during 2022-23. It also means that households that do not pay Council Tax - for example, if they are exempt or have nil liability - are not disadvantaged.

Where a household is eligible for the rebate and their local council does not already hold payment details as a result of a direct debit instruction, they may offer the option to receive the payment as a Council Tax account credit.

The £150 energy rebate can be credited to your Council Tax account. You should choose that option.

No. The £150 Council Tax rebate does not have to be paid back.

The government has provided all councils in England with funding to provide discretionary support to any household that is in financial need, regardless of Council Tax band. Each council will develop and publicise eligibility criteria and the claims process for this funding.

No. The rebate is only available to the occupants of an eligible property (even if the Council Tax bill is usually paid by someone else). If you live in an eligible property and someone else usually pays your Council Tax bill, your council will contact you to arrange a method for paying your rebate.

Yes. The Council Tax rebate (as part of the Energy Rebate Scheme 2022) is excluded from being considered a public fund under paragraph 6.2(i) of the Immigration Rules. This means that it is available to people who have no recourse to public funds, other than those who do not have leave to enter or remain in the UK and fall within one of the cohorts listed under Schedule 3 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Further help and funding will be available under the main scheme if you don’t qualify as a household and are not in Council Tax bands A to D, there will be some further funding available to help households who do not qualify under this main scheme. Redbridge will publish more information when this becomes available from central government, so come back and check this page again and lookout for our social media and news updates.

You will not be eligible to apply for this scheme. However, you may be eligible for a discretionary payment if you pay energy bills directly and your circumstances meet the criteria for the discretionary scheme. Details of this scheme will be published on the energy rebate webpage.

You are eligible to claim the rebate, but you may want to consider passing on the benefit.

No. However, you may be eligible for a discretionary payment if you meet the criteria for the discretionary scheme.  Details of this scheme will be published on the energy rebate webpage.

Where the liable Council Tax payer does not occupy the property, they will not be eligible to claim. This means that if you are a tenant of a property where the landlord is liable for the Council Tax bill as the premises is a house in multi occupation for Council Tax purposes (this includes student accommodation in exemption class N), a Council Tax rebate cannot be paid. However, you may be eligible for a discretionary payment if you pay energy bills directly and your circumstances meet the criteria for the discretionary scheme. Details of this scheme will be published on the energy rebate web page.

There are a limited number of reasons where you can challenge your Council Tax band. The government issued guidance on the circumstances a Council Tax band can be challenged.

Only eligible properties will be permitted to make an application. The portal will know your band and if the property is empty, based on the Council Tax records.  If you are not able to make an application, you should firstly check that the property reference number is correct. You should check the band is A- D or E for those with disabled relief.

Find your Council Tax band with GOV.UK  

If you currently pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit, you do not need to do anything.  In most cases, you would have received a credit into your account during April. 

All claims must be made via the portal, but if you have difficulties completing the claim form please email energyrebate@redbridge.gov.uk or ring 0208 554 5000

No, we only need to see the header of the bank statement which shows:

• Name and address of the bank account holder
• Sort Code
• Bank account number
• Date the statement was issued. 

The above is required for verification purposes.