Thousands of households have MORE time to claim £150 council tax rebate – but you’ll need to move quickly

THOUSANDS of households have been given extra time to claim a £150 grant.

The council tax rebate is a one-off payment to help with rising energy costs.

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Households in England in council tax bands A to D started receiving the £150 from their local council from April as part of the government’s Energy Bills Rebate scheme.

You get one payment per household and do not have to pay the money back.

In Northumberland, around 109,000 out of 126,000 households eligible for the rebate have been paid so far.

But the county council has extended its deadline for applications until July 15 to ensure the remaining 17,000 households get the cash.

Residents are being urged to apply as soon as possible.

How do you apply?

Each council is administering the scheme in different ways.

Regardless of your area you will need to live in a home which falls under band A – D to be eligible to claim the rebate.

If you pay your council tax by direct debit, your local council will usually make the payment to your bank account.

Payments started being sent in April.

If you are eligible but don’t pay your council tax by direct debit, your local council should contact you with details of how to claim your rebate.

If you are not sure what council you fall under, you can check by using the government’s locator.

You can also check what council tax band your property is in by going on the government’s website.

In Northumberland, the council has sent letters to households where the council holds no direct debit details asking people to provide their details via a computer link in a letter.

This is what has to be done by the July 15 deadline.

Residents have been told if they have not yet received a letter, to expect one in the “coming weeks”.

Residents will need a property reference and council tax account number shown at the top of the letter to apply.

Residents have been told if they have any issues accessing the link provided in the letter, to first check the spelling of the link before contacting 0345 600 6400 for further help.

You can call the number during office hours which are Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm and Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.

You can also email the council on [email protected]

The council said it will not request residents’ bank details by telephone.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk