Getting Universal Credit? Check if you could get money back on your Council Tax
whg customers who receive Universal Credit are being urged to check if they could get money back on their Council Tax.
If your Universal Credit includes, or used to include, a Transitional Element top-up payment, you may have paid more Council Tax than you needed to.
This is because some councils counted this payment as income when working out Council Tax Reduction. This meant some people received a smaller reduction than they should have.
Could this affect me?
You may be affected if all three of these apply:
- the Department for Work and Pensions sent you a Migration Notice and moved you to Universal Credit
- your Universal Credit included a Transitional Element
- you received Council Tax Reduction, sometimes called Council Tax Support, at the same time.
You can find it on your monthly Universal Credit statement. Look under “What you’re entitled to” for a line called Transitional Element.
You could still be affected if this payment has since been reduced or stopped.
What has happened?
Some councils counted the Transitional Element as income when working out Council Tax Reduction. Following recent legal action, councils are checking how they treated this payment.
If your council included it when working out your Council Tax Reduction and you paid too much, you could be able to get money back.
What should I do?
- Check your Universal Credit statements from when you moved to Universal Credit.
- Look under “What you’re entitled to” for a line called Transitional Element.
If you see this, or you are unsure, contact our Money Advice Team. You do not need to work through the Council Tax calculations yourself.
We can:
- help you check your Universal Credit statements and Council Tax bills
- find out whether your Transitional Element was counted as income
- help you ask your council to review its decision
- support you with an appeal if needed.
What is my council doing?
Walsall Council has sent new Council Tax bills to affected households for this current year.
These bills only correct Council Tax Reduction for this financial year. If you received a Transitional Element in a previous year, you may need to ask for those to be reviewed too.
Other councils may be taking a different approach. Our Money Advice Team can help you understand what to do wherever you live.
Get help from our Money Advice Team
We want to make sure you are not losing out. You can fill in the form below if your Universal Credit includes, or used to include, a Transitional Element. You can also fill in the form if you are unsure and would like help checking.
What support can I get?
Whether you need support with your money or just need a little advice, there are many ways we can help you.
Our friendly, expert team can help with:
Maximising your income
Debt management and crisis help
Benefits claims and advice
Money management and budgeting
Check if you’re entitled to financial support
