Greenwich Council Tax Reduction Processing Time and Contact Details

You've submitted your Council Tax Reduction application to Greenwich Council and now you're waiting. The demand notice still shows the full bill, the instalments are ticking over, and you don't know whether to keep paying the old amount or wait. Here's what to expect and how to chase it up if the process stalls.

How Long Processing Typically Takes

Greenwich Council does not give a guaranteed turnaround time for CTR claims. The time can depend on whether the evidence is complete and whether the council needs further checks. Universal Credit claims may also depend on DWP data feeds, and self-employment, backdating, or non-dependant details can require additional review.

The council allows one calendar month from the date of an evidence request to submit the required verification documents. If you uploaded documents during the application, check that they were received. If the council asks for additional evidence, send it by the deadline in its request.

Keep Paying While You Wait

This is the single most important practical point: you must continue making council tax payments according to your existing demand notice while the CTR claim is being processed. Stopping payments because you expect a reduction triggers the automated recovery sequence — reminder notices, loss of instalment rights, and eventually court action with added costs.

If your CTR claim is approved, the award normally starts on the Monday after the council receives your claim. If you submit the claim during the same benefit week that your Council Tax liability begins, the award starts on the date that liability begins. The council adjusts your account and remaining instalments. Any overpayment is credited to your account or refunded. You won't lose money by paying in the meantime — but you can incur court costs and enforcement charges by not paying.

How to Chase Your Application

If it's been more than four weeks since you submitted complete evidence and you haven't received a decision notice, contact the council:

Greenwich Council Benefits Team

• Phone: 020 8921 4900 (council tax billing and benefits)
• Email: [email protected] — include your full name, address, and online claim reference number
• In person: The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London SE18 6HQ

When you call or email, ask specifically:

1. Has all the evidence been received and logged?
2. Is the claim waiting for anything further from you?
3. What is the expected decision date?

If evidence is missing, you'll get a chance to resubmit. The council allows one calendar month from the date of the evidence request. Missing that deadline can result in your claim being closed — you'd then need to start again with a new application and a new claim date.

The Welfare Rights Service (for Complex Cases)

If your claim is stuck in a dispute — the council disagrees with your income figures, a non-dependant deduction is being applied that you think is wrong, or a backdating request was refused — the RBG Welfare Rights Service offers free specialist casework:

• Phone: 020 8921 6375
• Hours: Monday and Thursday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Location: The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, SE18 6HQ

They can review your case, help you request a written statement of reasons, and guide you through the internal review and Valuation Tribunal appeal process if needed.

Citizens Advice Greenwich (020 8312 7311) also handles council tax cases and can advocate on your behalf if the council isn't responding.

What Happens After the Decision

Once Greenwich Council processes your claim, you'll receive two documents:

1. LCTS Decision Notice: details your assessable income, applicable amount, non-dependant deductions (if any), and the net weekly CTR award
2. Revised Council Tax Demand: an updated annual bill showing the CTR credit and recalculated instalments

If the decision doesn't match what you expected — a lower award than the calculation suggests, or a refusal you disagree with — you have one month from the decision notice date to request a formal statement of reasons. From there, you can escalate to a Section 16 internal review, and if that doesn't resolve it, an independent Valuation Tribunal appeal.

Our Greenwich Council Tax Reduction guide covers the full application process, evidence requirements, and what to do at each stage if things don't go smoothly — including the backdating rules and hardship fund application that can help if delays have left you with a larger bill than expected.

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