Millions of people are being put under increasing pressure due to the ongoing rise in the cost of living. Council tax, National Insurance, food and fuel price increases are putting a huge financial strain on households around the UK, with experts warning of further spikes in the coming months.
Paired with the 54% rise in the energy price cap last Friday, it has left many wondering how they will afford to keep their houses warm and their families fed. It led UK Government chancellor Rishi Sunak to announce a raft of measures aimed at easing financial pressure on struggling families back in February. This includes a £200 rebate on energy bills for all households and a £150 council tax rebate for people in England living in properties in Band A to Band D for council tax.
The Welsh Government later confirmed it would offer a £150 cost of living payment to all households who live in properties in council tax bands A to D, as well as recipients of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme in all bands. However, it has been left up to each individual council to decide how and when it will administer the payments.
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With new council tax rates now in effect as of April, we asked all local authorities in Wales exactly when people living in each area can expect to receive their money, as well as what they have to do. In most cases households will not have to contact their council to receive their money, but some may have to provide additional details in order to ensure they get the money.
Blaenau Gwent
A spokesperson from Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council confirmed that residents who currently pay their council tax by direct debit will receive payments "around mid-May" and that any new registrations will be paid "as soon as is practicable after application."
There is no deadline by which anyone not currently paying by direct debit needs to set one up. However, if a direct debit wasn’t set up at the start of April then the applicant will have to register an application. Letters will be sent to residents with an invitation to apply.
Bridgend
Residents in Bridgend properties that fall under council tax bands A-D and who already pay by direct debit will automatically receive the payment directly into their bank accounts in April, Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed. All other eligible households will receive an email or a letter featuring a secure identification code that they can use to register for the payment online.
Caerphilly
A Caerphilly County Borough Council statement confirmed the scheme will "commence as soon as possible in April but, as around 70,000 households within Caerphilly CBC may be eligible, payments will take several months to complete. The scheme in Wales will run for around six months to September 30, 2022."
"If you pay your council tax by direct debit, we expect to be able to make the payment direct to your bank account, without the need for you to register your details with us. We will be issuing these payments during April.
"If you have recently set up a direct debit instruction to pay your council tax bill, we will collect your first council tax direct debit payment before we issue you with the £150 ‘cost-of-living’ payment. This is to ensure that the bank details we hold for you are correct and to minimise fraud and error."
For all other eligible council tax payers, the scheme will require a registration process via the council’s website to collect bank account details. An online form will be available during April on the Cost-of-Living Support Scheme website page when the council is ready to start processing registrations.
Letters will be sent to households the councils believes may be eligible for support, inviting them to register their details using the online form. Letters will be issued over a number of weeks starting towards the end of April, with "separate arrangements" for those people without internet access and/or where they do not hold a suitable bank account.
Cardiff
Cardiff Council has not confirmed when residents can expect to receive the payments, with a spokesperson confirming it was currently working through final details for the scheme. A statement on the Cardiff Council website said details of the payment "will be published here later. If you pay your council tax by direct debit, then it is intended that the payment will be made directly to your bank account without the need for an application. If this information is not held, there will be an application process, details of which will be made available later.
"Some householders who are currently entitled to an exemption from the charge may also be entitled to a cost of living payment although the final details of this part of the scheme have yet to be confirmed and we will make more details available when this decision has been finalised." You can find out more here.
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire County Council said: "If you currently pay your council tax by direct debit, we will aim to make an automated payment of £150 to your bank account in April. If you do not pay by direct debit or we unable make an automated payment, we will be sending letters to you during April inviting you to provide us with your bank details using on on-line system to make for a speedy payment."
Ceredigion
A spokesperson from Ceredigion County Council was unable to confirm when it would start giving the payments, saying the scheme was "currently under consideration and this information is not yet known". It said there was no requirement for a direct debit to be in place, but that a registration process would be required for those not on direct debit, details of which would become available on its website.
Conwy
A Conwy County Borough Council spokesperson said: "We’re working to ensure payments can be made as soon as possible, and we’re currently focusing on making the appropriate arrangements. We should be able to start making the payments end April/start May. Alternative arrangements will be made in due course for those who do not pay by direct debit. Once confirmed we’ll update the information at the Cost-of-Living Support Payment - Conwy County Borough Council page."
Denbighshire
A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said it would start payments "to approximately 20,000 direct debit payers in early May: “Once we have paid all the direct debit customers, we will open applications to the 13,000 non-direct debit customers. They will be invited to apply via our website, SMS, email and post if no digital contact details are held. The aim for this will be middle of May."
In order for a customer to be paid automatically, where the council holds direct debit details, the customer must have had at least one successful payment taken from their bank account. The final direct debit payment that can be considered will be April 30, so customers will need to have a direct debit setup and first payment taken by that date. The council said it was "encouraging those who have not set up a direct debit to do so via online here.
“For people not wishing to pay by direct debit we will have an online application form. Once the online application is open, customers will be invited to apply and payments will be made on a weekly basis for all eligible applicants. This is an incredibly large piece of work for local authorities. We fully understand and appreciate the urgency in getting payments out to residents and have additional resources allocated to this task, who will be working, including outside of normal office hours, to ensure the payments are made as quickly as possible.”
Flintshire
A statement from Flintshire County Council said: "If we already hold the relevant information to make a payment, it is our intention that payments will start to be made from April. If additional information is needed, eligible households will need to complete a short registration form." You can find out more here.
Gwynedd
A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: "We expect to begin processing payments to the majority of recipients in early May – they will either receive a letter confirming payment or, if eligible and not paying by direct debit, a letter authorising the collection of a payment. All live council tax direct debits at the time the data extract is taken will be included in this payment facility. For the first two stages Gwynedd Council will contact those eligible. For those who consider they are eligible and payment is not received, in addition to the usual written application, there will be an online portal on our website to provide details.
"The ‘third stage’ discretionary scheme will also launch shortly afterwards. Again, we will contact those eligible and provide contact and application facilities for those who consider they have been missed." Find out more here.
Isle of Anglesey
Isle of Anglesey Council is one of a handful of councils whose residents might not receive their payments this month. They said in a statement that they "anticipate payments will be made in May" but "may take several months to complete." It said further information on the scheme would be made available in due course here.
Merthyr Tydfil
A Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council spokesperson said it hoped to start making payments to direct debit holders "by the end of April 2022", adding: "For those that will be required to apply – payments will be made to eligible customers that complete the online application form from May 2022 onwards," they added. More information is available here.
Monmouthshire
A Monmouthshire County Council spokesperson said residents who were paying their council tax by direct debit on February 15, 2022, would receive an automatic payment "by the end of April. Where this is not the case we will be contacting customers to ask them to supply their bank details to allow the council to make a payment to them. We will aim to process these payments within 30 days of receipt of these details," they said.
Neath Port Talbot
A statement on the Neath Port Talbot Council website said it would "aim to automate a payment of £150 to your bank account in May, earlier if we can: "If you do not pay by direct debit or we cannot make an automated payment we will be writing to you at the end of April inviting you to apply for the payment."
Newport
A Newport City Council statement said residents will receive the payment into their bank accounts and that it cannot be deducted from your council tax bill. It said the scheme will commence "as soon as possible in April but, as around 52,000 households within Newport may be eligible, payments will take several months to complete. We expect the scheme in Wales to run for around six months.
"If you do not currently pay by direct debit, you can change to that method of paying here. If you don't want to set one up, you will need to complete a registration form which will be available on the council website sometime in April."
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire County Council said it was "currently working on the implementation of this scheme and hopes to be in a position to make payments from mid-April: "Pembrokeshire County Council will use its council tax and Council Tax Reduction scheme records to identify those households eligible for payment. If current bank details for direct debit payment of council tax are held payment will be made into the relevant bank account in most cases. Customers who do not pay their council tax by direct debit and are eligible for the payment will receive a letter which will confirm the application process," it said, adding that it would confirm exactly when letters will be sent out at a later date."
Powys
Powys County Council said it hopes to start making the payments into bank accounts in May. Those who pay their council tax by direct debit do not need to apply and the council will put the £150 payment directly into your bank account. If the council does not have the bank details of council tax payers, they will receive a letter with a unique code so that they can provide their bank details online. They will not be able to apply until their receive their unique code.
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said its residents can expect to receive their payment by the end of April. Non-direct debit customers will receive a letter by the end of April inviting them to register for the payment. Once they have registered their payment will follow within 28 days;
Swansea
Swansea Council said it will start making the payments to direct debit customers "in mid April 2022" but said: "We do not know the exact date at this time. Those who need to register can expect a payment within two weeks of their registration being accepted.
"For those that do not have a bank account there will be an alternative method of payment available. However due to the time needed to set this up, these payments will be subject to a minimum four-week delay when the scheme opens. Further information on this will be available shortly."
A Swansea Council spokesperson added: "Like other local authorities, Swansea is working hard to make the payments as soon as possible. People do not have to set up a direct debit to be eligible for the payment. However the 45,000 eligible households who already pay council tax by direct debit should see the payment reach their bank accounts very soon. Similarly, our application form for those who need to register in order to receive a payment will be available shortly." You can find out more here.
Torfaen
A Torfaen County Borough Council spokesperson said: "Where we hold direct debit details on the council tax account as at February 15, 2022, we will look to process payment by the end of April. Where we do not hold direct debit details we will contact customers to capture their bank details and look to process payment within 30 days of receipt of those details.
"Customers do not need to contact the council - where we do not hold direct debit details as at February 15 we will contact them separately by email or letter to allow for them to complete an on line application with their bank details."
Vale of Glamorgan
A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesperson said its "aim is to start making payments in April, with the majority of households receiving their payment by the middle of May."
There is no deadline for direct debit registration as yet as it depends on the date that the extract is taking from the council’s records. However, it said its aim is to take the extract "before the end of April.
"If the customer does not pay by direct debit then they will need to register in order to obtain the payment. The council will contact the customer either by email or letter explaining the process that must be followed to claim the payment."
Wrexham
A Wrexham County Borough Council spokesperson said its "intention is to start making the payments of £150 in early May and that "anyone who is eligible for the payment should expect to receive it in May or June".
"For those eligible for the payment and in cases where we do not hold details to make a payment directly to them, we will be contacting them from May onwards. We will be asking them to provide payment details so we can make a payment to them. The fastest and most efficient way for customers to receive this payment is by direct debit."
