council tax.... do i still pay?
council tax.... do i still pay?
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Discussion

Dupont666

Original Poster:

22,843 posts

221 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Since i have joined the great unwashed (aka unemployed) do i still pay council tax or can i go tell them to f off as im not working now.... hopefully i shall be back at work soon, unemployment sucks...

Famous Graham

26,553 posts

254 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Dupont666 said:
Since i have joined the great unwashed (aka unemployed) do i still pay council tax or can i go tell them to f off as im not working now.... hopefully i shall be back at work soon, unemployment sucks...
Depends. If you're the name on the bill, then yes, you can get Council Tax benefit. If you're renting from someone else and paying them a portion of the CT, then no, as you're not paying CT directly and thus have no "need" for the benefit (as far as the council's concerned).

You're probably also due housing benefit as well.

Both of these are dealt with by your local council, but you apply through the JobCentre bods.

ETA - you need to have JSA running,though.

ETAA - you can't just stop paying though. You'll have to apply for the benefit, wait 6 weeks for them to fk about and get it sorted, then you'll get a rebate.

Edited by Famous Graham on Wednesday 4th February 12:21

ianash

3,286 posts

212 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
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All benefits apart from JSA are means tested.

Timsta

2,779 posts

275 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
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If things are getting tight then try here: http://www.entitledto.com/

You may find a few bits that will make things easier.

HTH
Tim

Dupont666

Original Poster:

22,843 posts

221 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
I should also say i own my flat and have a reasonable amount of money that i have saved up in my years working (yes its above the magic number).... would that effect the benefits i can claim for not paying council tax???

Thats the only one i would like.

lingus75

1,705 posts

251 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
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I wish it was that easy FG. After paying NI for 16 years I receive the grand total of absolutely fk all. No council tax rebate, JSA, nothing. Oh, wait there I do receive NI contributions which must total about £5 a fortnight?

I love the fact the fking tossers who have no intention of doing a stitch of work get everything. Guess who the credit crunch isn't making a difference to?

Reason being that within the last two tax years I had a short period of self-employment and was never told that class 2 NI contributions mean that you are entitled to a 100% of fk all. Allied to this that my GF has a job means that we receive nothing.

If the OP does share a place with a partner but either of you are not registered at the same address then DO NOT tell them as they will instantly exclude you from certain payments.


littlegreenfairy

10,134 posts

250 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
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If you have savings above the magic threshold you'll get nothing.

Sorry.

Dupont666

Original Poster:

22,843 posts

221 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Great so even tho i have worked hard, shelled out 000s a year in taxes and saved bloody hard for a rainy day such as redundancy.... Now this rainy day has come, the council are still going to make me pay as my rainy day fund that is paying my mortgage and all bills cause i bothered to fking save just in case....

Thats fking typical.... even without a job, i still have to pay for the scum....

NDA

25,548 posts

254 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Dupont666 said:
Great so even tho i have worked hard, shelled out 000s a year in taxes and saved bloody hard for a rainy day such as redundancy.... Now this rainy day has come, the council are still going to make me pay as my rainy day fund that is paying my mortgage and all bills cause i bothered to fking save just in case....

Thats fking typical.... even without a job, i still have to pay for the scum....
Yep, that's about the size of it.

I have no income either, and, despite tax bills over the past ten years that would make you shudder, I qualify for not the smallest amount of rebate. In fact I'm being charged council tax on empty houses I'm trying to sell.

On the other hand, if you had done feck all with your life, sired a dozen kids - you'd be in financial clover.

Brian_M

99 posts

212 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
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First post on P&P.

I work in Adult Educaton and I am surprised at the number of people who are not aware that if you are in receipt of many types of benefits you are entitled to "fee remission" of up to 100% on many professional courses. Unfortunately contribution based JSA is excluded from the list of benefits, but entitlement is not means tested.

It has to be a course leading to a recognised qualification e.g. City and Guilds, but many are evening or weekend courses lasting only 10 weeks.

The best bit is that so long as you are on benefit when you enrol, you can complete the course even if you find work before it finishes.

A great chance to up-date your skills, improve your CV or change career.


lost in espace

6,584 posts

236 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
shirley you owe your mum some money and have to pay her it back leaving you skint ;-)

Neil_H

15,418 posts

280 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Dupont666 said:
Great so even tho i have worked hard, shelled out 000s a year in taxes and saved bloody hard for a rainy day such as redundancy.... Now this rainy day has come, the council are still going to make me pay as my rainy day fund that is paying my mortgage and all bills cause i bothered to fking save just in case....

Thats fking typical.... even without a job, i still have to pay for the scum....
Welcome to the UK, where the hard working are robbed to pay for workshy, incapable scum.

Matt_N

9,032 posts

231 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
lost in espace said:
shirley you owe your mum some money and have to pay her it back leaving you skint ;-)
+1

Cant you pay back some people the money you own them?

Dupont666

Original Poster:

22,843 posts

221 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Brian_M said:
First post on P&P.

I work in Adult Educaton and I am surprised at the number of people who are not aware that if you are in receipt of many types of benefits you are entitled to "fee remission" of up to 100% on many professional courses. Unfortunately contribution based JSA is excluded from the list of benefits, but entitlement is not means tested.

It has to be a course leading to a recognised qualification e.g. City and Guilds, but many are evening or weekend courses lasting only 10 weeks.

The best bit is that so long as you are on benefit when you enrol, you can complete the course even if you find work before it finishes.

A great chance to up-date your skills, improve your CV or change career.
Sounds like a few of them would be fun, the issue is that im trying to find out is some of the people in my field of expertise that are affected are the ones with quite high mortgages 50% or so of take home salary, which is good when we can afford them, but the instance the credit crunch hits and we are laid off... we CANT get on benefits to help us out, instead we should use all our savings to pay for work shy people and then when we run out we lose our homes, etc....

Seems fair for the people who have paid tax all their lives and worked hard to get were we are and the first problems that happen, the government leaches us for all we got, wont give us benefits or help us and then forget about us when the money runs out.....

I can finally see why i want to leave this god forsaken country for somewhere else...



Dupont666

Original Poster:

22,843 posts

221 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Matt_N said:
lost in espace said:
shirley you owe your mum some money and have to pay her it back leaving you skint ;-)
+1

Cant you pay back some people the money you own them?
Explain how this would help?

I have a mortgage and i got a loan off my folks to help pay it (really i did) and can pay them off but would leave little money and i would still have a mortgage to pay off and bills.... so then i would have issues with day to day living then....

ipitythefool

13,699 posts

277 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Dupont666 said:
Matt_N said:
lost in espace said:
shirley you owe your mum some money and have to pay her it back leaving you skint ;-)
+1

Cant you pay back some people the money you own them?
Explain how this would help?

I have a mortgage and i got a loan off my folks to help pay it (really i did) and can pay them off but would leave little money and i would still have a mortgage to pay off and bills.... so then i would have issues with day to day living then....
How can you 'hide' the savings you have?

Timsta

2,779 posts

275 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
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Or you could use your savings to pay for your council tax, and rely on benefits when you need to.

ipitythefool

13,699 posts

277 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
Timsta said:
Or you could use your savings to pay for your council tax, and rely on benefits when you need to.
Rubbish.
Do you mean people are on benefits because they 'need' them as opposed to choosing such a lifestyle?

Timsta

2,779 posts

275 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
ipitythefool said:
Timsta said:
Or you could use your savings to pay for your council tax, and rely on benefits when you need to.
Rubbish.
Do you mean people are on benefits because they 'need' them as opposed to choosing such a lifestyle?
Bit of a long shot, but I think that's what they're meant to be used for. tongue out

Guffy

2,369 posts

294 months

Wednesday 4th February 2009
quotequote all
littlegreenfairy said:
If you have savings above the magic threshold you'll get nothing.

Sorry.
Does anyone know if this is actually checked? Would a court order be needed? Shirley they can't check everyone who might have more than £8k (or whatever it is now) stashed around various accounts?