Martin Lewis explains how households will get £150 council tax rebate paid into bank accounts

MARTIN Lewis has explained how households will get the £150 council tax rebate paid into their bank accounts.

The refund is to help families with the rising cost of living and will be handed out from April.

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The government announced the funding in February, saying households living in properties in council tax bands A to D will get the money.

You can find out what council tax band you’re in by entering your postcode on the government’s website.

Around four in every five homes in England will start getting the discount within days.

It comes as energy bills are set to rise, with millions of households set to pay nearly £700 extra a year from Friday.

The MoneySavingExpert founder said the cash will land in bank accounts from April, if you pay by direct debit.

The Sun has previously reported that paying by direct debit is the fastest way of getting the £150 rebate.

Otherwise, you will be contacted by your local authority about how to apply.

“If you pay your council tax by direct debit, then you will get the money automatically paid into your bank, it’s really simple,” Martin said on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today.

“If you don’t pay by direct debit, then the council will get in contact with you to tell you how to claim the cash.

“If you don’t do that then they will give it to you as an energy rebate. Those are the three systems.”

He also said people who aren’t eligible for the rebate can apply for a cash fund from a £140million pot.

You will have to contact your council in April to apply for a £150 grant from the pot.

Households that pay no council tax because they get their bill discounted under existing schemes face waiting weeks extra for the payment, The Sun reported today.

Local authorities will be contacting residents who don’t have direct debits set up to get bank details to make the payment.

But it means it will take longer to process than the automatic payments for billpayers.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk