MILLIONS of households will not benefit from a second council tax rebate, Rishi Sunak has confirmed.
The Chancellor will slap a new windfall tax on oil and energy giants to help bankroll a multibillion-pound package of support to help with the cost of living crisis.
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The government announced help for households back in February, including the £150 council tax energy rebate for four in five households.
Those living in council tax bands A to D are eligible for the one-off £150 payment, which started being made in April.
Local councils have until the end of October to dish out the cash.
You can check when payments are being made where you live by checking your local council’s website and social media pages.
Payments are being made automatically if you pay your council tax bill by direct debit.
If you don’t have this set up then you may have to apply – and this could mean a longer wait for the cash.
A separate £144million fund has also been launched which local councils can dish out to vulnerable and low income households.
It comes as energy bills are due to rocket by £800 to £2,800 a year this October.
Many people had hoped another rebate would be announced today, but will have been disappointed that it was not part of the chancellor’s plans.
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Rishi will scrap plans for a “rebate and clawback scheme”, which would have given people a £200 discount on their bills from October.
Mr Sunak will instead convert the effective loans – which would have been paid back in heftier bills later – into grants given to energy companies to dish out.
If you’re not eligible for the one-off payment you should check whether you qualify for any other help.
You can find out which band you’re in to see if you’re eligible for the automatic scheme, or need to apply to the fund by using the government’s search tool – you just need to enter your postcode.
There are also some exemptions to those in A-D bands, for example if you don’t live in the home.
You could challenge your council tax band if you think it’s wrong, so you don’t miss out on the cash.
But beware a revaluation of your band could put you in a lower band where you pay MORE council tax, so consider the risks.
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