Passported Benefits and Council Tax Reduction in North Yorkshire

What Passporting Means for Council Tax

If you receive certain legacy benefits, North Yorkshire Council automatically places you in the maximum Council Tax Reduction band — 100% off your bill. There's no income band calculation. The benefit itself is your passport to full support.

The three passported benefits are:

• Income Support (IS)
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA-IB)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA-IR)

If you receive any of these, your Council Tax liability is reduced to zero (before any other discounts like the Single Person Discount). You still need to apply for CTR through North Yorkshire Council — passporting isn't automatic just because the DWP pays you. But once the council sees your benefit award letter, the assessment is straightforward.

The Universal Credit Complication

Managed migration is gradually moving everyone off these legacy benefits and onto Universal Credit. If you've been moved to UC, you're no longer on a passported benefit — your Council Tax Reduction is calculated through the income band system instead.

This doesn't necessarily mean you'll get less help. A UC claimant with very low or zero income still falls into the 100% band. But the calculation is different, and the result depends on your exact income after disregards. Some people transitioning from ESA-IR to UC have found their CTR drops because the income band thresholds treat them differently from the automatic passporting they had before.

If you've received a migration notice from the DWP, contact North Yorkshire Council to make sure your CTR claim is updated. A gap between your legacy benefit ending and your UC claim being processed can leave you without Council Tax help for the transition period.

Working Tax Credit

Working Tax Credit (WTC) is not a passported benefit for Council Tax Reduction purposes. Receiving WTC doesn't automatically give you 100% CTR. However, WTC income is included in the overall income assessment, and the income band calculation may still place you in a discount tier depending on your total household income.

Like the other legacy benefits, WTC is being phased out through managed migration to Universal Credit.

What You Need to Do

Even with a passported benefit, you must:

1. Apply for Council Tax Reduction through North Yorkshire Council's online portal
2. Provide your benefit award letter as proof
3. Report changes within 21 days if your benefit status changes — especially if you're migrated to UC or your benefit is sanctioned or stopped

Your CTR award runs continuously as long as the passported benefit remains in payment. You don't need to reapply each year.

If Your Benefit Is Stopped or Sanctioned

A temporary benefit sanction doesn't necessarily end your CTR. But if the passported benefit stops permanently — because you've moved to UC, started earning above the threshold, or been disqualified — the council switches your CTR assessment to the income band system. Report the change within 21 days to avoid an overpayment.

The North Yorkshire Council Tax Reduction Process Guide covers both the passported route and the income band calculation, so you're prepared whichever assessment method applies to your situation.

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