The clock is ticking if yours is one of the 300,000 households yet to claim the £150 council tax rebate from your local council.
The vast majority of families, around 19.1million, have already received their payment, most of which were made automatically earlier this year to council tax payers who settle their bill by direct debit. However, according to Government figures, there are still hundreds of thousands of families who don't pay by direct debit, and they have until November 30 to make their claim.
The deadline had been extended from the original September 30 cut-off point to ensure households struggling with the cost of living crisis don't miss out, and the Government has said there are no further extensions planned.
Read more: Why now is not the time to ask your energy supplier for your money back
The Council Tax Rebate Scheme was launched in February to help tack the rising cost of living - in particular increasingly expensive energy bills. Under the initiative, all households in bands A-D in will get a £150 non-repayable payment. Most families in our region who pay by direct debit should have received their £150 council tax rebate by May 31, and now attention has been turned to the families who pay their bill in other ways.
Most of our local councils told us earlier this year that there were plans in place for those who hadn't claimed by the original deadline of September 30, but it's still worth giving your council a call or check the website if you haven't applied for your money yet and you want is as a payment rather that a credit on your council tax bill. This applies to people who pay their council tax in cash, over the phone or by standing order.
Here's what our councils say on their websites:
Durham County Council
"Where we did not receive an application, or where we were unable to process the application under the Government criteria, the payment has been credited to your council tax account as a cash payment. You can still request a refund of the payment by contacting us. "
If you live in County Durham, find out more here.
Northumberland County Council
"Payments will be made to eligible households during the period 1 October to 30 November 2022."
If you live in Northumberland, find out more here.
Gateshead Council
"The scheme has now ended and all payments were made by 30 September 2022."
If you live in Gateshead, find out more here.
Newcastle City Council
“If you have not yet received your payment, we will either:
- Be applying your payment to reduce the balance of your Council Tax account or
- If you do not have a balance on your council tax, we will issue you with a voucher that can be redeemed at the Post Office."
If you live in Newcastle, find more information here.
Sunderland City Council
"Eligible residents who have not applied will not lose out as the Council will apply the energy rebate amount to the council tax account - thereby reducing the amount of council tax that the household needs to pay to the Council.."
If you live in Sunderland, find out more here.
North Tyneside Council
"f you did not receive the £150 payment into your bank account, you will now have either received it via a Post Office payout voucher or a letter will have been issued informing you that the £150 payment has been allocated against your council tax account (with a revised bill to follow). "
If you live in North Tyneside, find out more here.
South Tyneside Council
"The Council has now paid the rebate to all eligible households."
If you don't qualify for the main £150 rebate because you don't live in a property in bands A to D, extra cash may be available to you and councils have until 30 November to pay this out. Sunderland City Council and Gateshead Council, for example, are giving a further £20 for those struggling in bands A-D who qualify and £170 for those in bands E-H and Newcastle City Council residents could get an extra £18 for those struggling in bands A-D who qualify and £168 for those in bands E-H. Find out more by contacting your council using the links above.
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