Bolton Council Tax Reduction: Award Letters, Reviews and Overpayments

Understanding Your Award Letter

When Bolton Council approves your Council Tax Reduction claim, you'll receive an award letter showing the weekly CTR amount, the period it covers, and how it affects your council tax bill. Alongside the award letter, the council issues a revised demand notice — this is the document that actually shows your new monthly instalments.

Check both documents carefully. The award letter should reflect the income, capital, and household details you provided. Common errors include:

• Incorrect non-dependant deductions (other adults in your household counted at the wrong income tier)
• Missing disregards (PIP or DLA income counted when it should be excluded)
• Wrong band or discount applied before the CTR calculation
• Partner's income included when they've moved out

If something looks wrong, send Bolton Council a written request for an internal review within one calendar month of the decision notice, explaining what you believe is wrong and including any supporting evidence. For help, contact the Council Tax team on 01204 331599. If the review does not resolve the issue, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.

Reviews and Reassessments

Bolton Council can reassess your award when your circumstances change or when it receives updated income data from DWP. If it asks you to provide evidence, respond by the deadline in the notice; missing requested evidence can affect your award.

Your award may also be reassessed when DWP sends updated income data — particularly common for Universal Credit claimants whose monthly earnings fluctuate. Each reassessment generates a new award letter and revised demand notice.

If you're on UC, expect to see your CTR adjusted regularly. The council receives automated data from DWP about your UC award changes, and these feed directly into recalculations. This is normal, not an error — but it's worth checking each revised notice against your actual UC statement to make sure the figures match.

How Overpayments Happen

An overpayment (officially called an "excess reduction") occurs when your CTR award was higher than it should have been. Common causes:

• You didn't report a change of circumstances within the 21-day deadline — for example, increased earnings, a partner moving in, or savings rising above £3,000
• DWP sent corrected income data that showed your income was higher during a past period
• An administrative error by the council

When the council identifies an overpayment, they cancel the excess credit from your council tax account and issue an amended bill. Your future instalments increase to recover the amount, or if the financial year has ended, you'll receive a bill for the outstanding balance.

Can You Challenge an Overpayment?

You can't appeal the principle that overpayments are recoverable — Bolton Council has the legal right to recover excess reductions. But you can challenge the calculation. If the overpayment arose from a council error rather than failure to report, explain that in your written review request. If repayment creates financial hardship, apply for Section 13A discretionary relief or ask the council about a payment arrangement.

If the revised bill creates financial hardship, apply for Section 13A discretionary relief on the increased amount. You can also request a payment arrangement to spread the recovery over a longer period.

For a full walkthrough of how Bolton CTR is calculated, how changes affect your award, and how to handle disputes, see the complete Bolton CTR guide.

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