How to Use the Birmingham Citizen Access Portal for Council Tax

What the Citizen Access Portal Is

Birmingham City Council's Citizen Access Portal is the main way to apply for Council Tax Support, report changes, and manage your council tax account online. You'll find it at birmingham.gov.uk/CTS for Council Tax Support applications specifically.

Since Birmingham permanently closed all walk-in Customer Service Centres, the portal is the primary channel for most council tax interactions. Paper applications are also available. Keep the confirmation showing when the council received your written application: an award normally takes effect on the following Monday. If your application is submitted in the same benefit week that your Council Tax liability starts, the award starts from the date that liability began.

Before You Start: What You'll Need

The portal asks for information and evidence. Gather these before you log in:

• Your Council Tax account reference number (from your annual bill)
• National Insurance numbers for you and your partner
• Bank statements for the last two months (all accounts)
• Income evidence: payslips, Universal Credit award letter, benefit letters
• Digital copies of documents ready to upload (photos from your phone work, but make sure text is legible)

The portal gives you a temporary "Citizen Access Key" when you create a draft application. This key lets you save your progress and return later — but it expires after 14 days. If it expires, your draft is deleted and you start over.

Navigating the Application

The CTS application follows a structured sequence:

1. Personal details — your name, date of birth, NI number, address
2. Partner details — if you have a partner living with you, their information is required (their income and savings are assessed jointly)
3. Household composition — who else lives in your property (this determines non-dependant deductions)
4. Income and employment — earnings, benefits, pensions, any other income for you and your partner
5. Savings and capital — bank balances, investments, premium bonds
6. Housing costs — rent, mortgage, service charges
7. Document uploads — attach your evidence files
8. Declaration and submission

Each section has mandatory fields. If you skip one, the portal flags it before you can submit.

Common Portal Problems and How to Handle Them

Session timeouts. If you leave the form idle too long, the session expires. On a slow mobile connection, this can happen mid-upload. Save your progress using the Citizen Access Key frequently — don't wait until the end.

Document upload failures. If a file will not upload, try compressing it or taking a lower-resolution photo. If it still fails, note which documents could not be uploaded and post them separately to PO Box 8267 with your name and Council Tax reference.

No Council Tax reference number. New tenants who haven't received their first bill yet may not have a reference number. Contact the council for your account reference and ask how to proceed with a CTS application while the account is being set up.

Returning to a saved draft. Use the Citizen Access Key the portal gave you. If you've lost it, contact the council before the 14-day draft period expires and ask how to access your saved application. If the period has passed, you may need to start a new application.

After Submission

Once submitted, you'll get an on-screen confirmation and a reference number. Save or screenshot this as proof of when the council received your application.

The council will assess your application and send a written decision. If they need additional information, they'll contact you. Processing times vary; contact the Benefits Service if you need to check progress.

If your circumstances change while the application is being processed — you get a new job, lose a job, a non-dependant moves in or out — report it immediately through the portal.

For a step-by-step application walkthrough with a printable document checklist, see the Birmingham Council Tax Reduction Guide.

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