HOUSEHOLDS will want to know how to challenge their council tax band to avoid missing out on a £150 refund on the levy.
Last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced 15million households are in line to get a £150 council tax refund.
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It was one of a number of support measures announced to help hard-up Brits through a crippling cost of living crisis, including a £200 energy bill rebate and the expansion of the Warm Home Discount scheme.
The £150 council tax refund will be available to those on lower council tax bands – from A to D – as the government is aiming to help target those on lower and middle incomes.
That is essentially properties that were worth up to £88,000 when it was last valued – and valuations were done in 1991.
Those means those in higher council tax bands E to H will miss out on the help – unless they are eligible to access support from the £144million fund available to families who won’t benefit from the rebates.
If families are struggling to make ends meet on higher council tax bands, or if they are exempt from having to pay the levy at all, they could be able to claim cash from the fund.
But thousands of homeowners who are not eligible for the rebate or the extra funding will miss out on the help – and not get a penny.
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It means that a barrage of Brits are expected to challenge their council tax band in a bid to get moved onto a lower one – and get the £150 help.
The Valuation Office Agency, which sets which council tax band every home is in, is expected nearly 100,000 households to challenge their band, according to The Telegraph.
It received three times more phone calls and online queries than it normally gets at the end of last week when Rishi announced the help.
According to reports, a further 70,000 calls are expected in March – which is when Brits will get their latest council tax bill.
Here’s how to challenge your council tax band if you’re currently set to lose out.
How to challenge your council tax
First, you need to find out what council tax band you are in.
You can find out your council tax band by checking with your local authority or on the postcode checker.
If you think you are paying more than you should, then here’s how to challenge your band – but be warned that it might not work.
You’ll want to use the council tax band checker tool to see which band your neighbours are in.
If they are in a lower band than you are, you may successfully challenge yours – and get yours lowered.
Contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England and Wales or the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) in Scotland to do this.
Make sure you’ve got the evidence to hand showing you’re paying more – that could be having addresses of similar properties to yours in a lower band, for example.
If the VOA agrees that your property is in the wrong band, it will contact you to let you know your band will be changed.
But while you could get moved to a lower band and pay less, there’s also the chance the VOA could find you’re not paying enough.
That could mean you’re moved to a higher band.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
