Newcastle Council Tax Support for Care Leavers: Band 1 Passporting for Under-25s

What Newcastle Offers Care Leavers

Newcastle City Council provides one of the more straightforward care leaver council tax protections in England. If you are a statutory care leaver under 25 and meet the scheme's eligibility rules, the council passports you directly into Band 1 of its Council Tax Support scheme — a 100% reduction that brings your council tax bill to zero.

This is not a discretionary favour the council might or might not grant. Since 2026/27, care leaver passporting is written into the formal Council Tax Support scheme adopted by full council vote. It sits alongside the other Band 1 passporting categories: recipients of income-related ESA, Income Support, and income-based JSA, plus households with a terminally ill member.

Who Qualifies

The protection applies to you if all three conditions are met:

• You are a statutory care leaver with formal confirmation from the local authority that looked after you
• You are aged 18 to 24 — the passporting ends on your 25th birthday
• You live in Newcastle upon Tyne and are liable for council tax on your dwelling

Your income does not matter. Even if you are working and earning above the Band 1 income threshold (£110 per week for a single person in 2026/27), the care leaver passporting overrides the normal income-band calculation.

Care leaver status sets your income band at Band 1, but the £6,000 working-age capital ceiling still applies: combined capital of £6,000 or more can make a claim ineligible.

How to Claim

Care leaver status does not trigger an automatic Council Tax Support award. You need to apply through the same online portal that every other working-age applicant uses on the Newcastle City Council website.

The key difference is the evidence. Instead of wage slips and bank statements, you need to provide:

• Formal confirmation of your care leaver status from the local authority that was responsible for you. This is usually a letter from your personal adviser or leaving care team.
• Your 12-digit Council Tax reference number, found on your demand notice or available through the council's online lookup tool.

If you were in care under a different local authority (not Newcastle), you still qualify for the Newcastle scheme as long as you now live in Newcastle — but you need proof from whichever authority looked after you.

What Happens at 25

On your 25th birthday, the care leaver passporting ends. Any award after that depends on the ordinary working-age scheme rules, including your weekly net income and household composition. If you are approaching 25, contact the council to ask when it will reassess your award and issue a revised demand notice.

Other Discounts That Stack

If you live alone, the 25% Single Person Discount applies to your gross council tax bill before the care leaver CTS is calculated. Since care leaver CTS covers 100% of the remaining liability, the SPD does not change what you pay (still zero), but it does reduce the cost the council absorbs.

If your property has been adapted for a disability, the Disabled Band Reduction may also apply, moving you down one valuation band.

Getting Help

If you are struggling with the application or cannot obtain your care leaver confirmation letter, two local services can help:

• Newcastle Welfare Rights Service — phone 0191 277 2627 (Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM) or email [email protected]
• Citizens Advice Newcastle — phone 0808 278 7823, or walk in at City Library (4th Floor, Charles Avison Building, 33 New Bridge Street West) Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

The full Newcastle Council Tax Reduction guide covers the care leaver passporting rules alongside the five income bands, the hardship fund, and the full appeals process.

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