Somerset Council Tax Reduction: Eligibility and How to Apply

Somerset Council runs its own Council Tax Reduction scheme for working-age residents — and it looks nothing like the old council tax benefit system. If you're on a low income, receiving Universal Credit, or claiming legacy benefits, you may qualify for a discount of 10% to 100% off your bill. But unlike the national pension-age rules, Somerset's working-age scheme uses local income bands that changed significantly in April 2025.

Who Qualifies for Somerset Council Tax Reduction

To be eligible, you need to tick every box on this list:

• You're aged 18 to State Pension age and liable for council tax on a property within the Somerset Council area (not North Somerset or Bath & North East Somerset — they run separate schemes)
• Your total household savings are under £6,000 — if you're over that limit, even by a pound, you get nothing
• Your property is your sole or main residence
• You're not excluded as a "person subject to immigration control" under Section 115 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Exceptions include recognized refugees, people granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave, and people admitted under specific humanitarian schemes such as the Ukraine schemes.

If you receive Income Support, income-based JSA, or income-related ESA, you're automatically placed in Band 1 and get the full 100% discount regardless of household income.

For everyone else, Somerset Council assesses your total weekly household income — after applying disregards — and places you into one of four discount bands.

The Four Discount Bands for 2026/27

Somerset's scheme isn't a sliding scale. It's a stepped system where small income changes can jump you between bands:

• Band 1 (100% discount) — lowest income bracket
• Band 2 (50% discount) — moderate low income
• Band 3 (25% discount) — higher low income
• Band 4 (10% discount) — just below the cut-off

The exact income thresholds depend on your household size. A single person hits Band 1 at £108 per week or less; a couple with two children stays in Band 1 up to £294 per week. These thresholds were uprated by 3.8% for 2026/27 to match the September 2025 CPI figure used by the DWP.

If your income exceeds the Band 4 ceiling for your household type, you receive no discount at all.

How to Apply

Somerset Council handles all applications through its online portal at somerset.gov.uk — the old district council portals for Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, and Somerset West & Taunton all redirect there now.

Here's the process:

1. Gather your documents first. You'll need your 10-digit council tax account number, proof of identity, your last 5 weekly or 2 monthly payslips (or your full Universal Credit award breakdown), and two full consecutive monthly bank statements for every account you and your partner hold.
2. Go to the Somerset Council claims portal and select "Make a claim for Council Tax Reduction."
3. Complete every section — household composition, income details, employment status.
4. Upload clear copies of all supporting documents as photographs or PDFs.
5. Submit and save your reference number.

Your claim starts from the first Monday after the council registers it, provided you supply all evidence within one calendar month.

If you can't apply online, call Somerset Council on 0300 123 2224 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm). A phone call registers your claim date as long as you complete the formal application within the agreed timeframe. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, the text relay number is 07862 122246. Somerset libraries also offer in-person help with the portal.

What to Watch Out For

The biggest mistake people make is assuming Universal Credit automatically triggers a council tax reduction claim. It doesn't. The DWP may notify Somerset Council that you've applied for UC, but that notification is not a claim — you must apply separately through the council's own portal. Thousands of Somerset residents have missed out on support because of this assumption.

The second common trap: Somerset's income bands create sharp cliff edges. If your assessable income lands at £108.01 per week instead of £108.00, you drop from a 100% discount to 50%. That single penny costs you half your council tax bill.

Our Somerset Council Tax Reduction guide walks through each income band with worked examples, explains which income is disregarded, and includes document checklists so you don't get tripped up mid-application.

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