Council tax is rising for millions of households from today (Monday, April 1). Most councils across
England are hiking bills by about 5 per cent. This is normally the maximum amount councils are allowed to change tax without a
referendum. Four councils in England – Birmingham, Slough, Thurrock and Woking – have been granted special permission to increase council tax by up to 10 per cent. Your first council tax payment may not come out of your account until tomorrow (Tuesday, April 2) if you pay by direct debit as Easter Monday is a bank holiday. In Wales, council tax will rise by between about 5 per cent and 10 percent. READ MORE: Royal expert says
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BREAKING stories. If you live in Northern
Ireland, a rates system is used for council tax, Mirror reports . Despite the price rises, there could be a way to get a reduction in your bills. Check if you can get council tax discount Council tax discounts typically range from between 25 per cent to 100 per cent depending on your personal circumstances and living arrangements. Contact your council directly to see if you are eligible for any discounts. For example, you get 25 per cent off your council tax bill if you live alone. This also applies if there is one adult living with someone else who is 'disregarded' - including full-time students, children under 18, adults who are considered 'severely mentally impaired' and live-in carers. You can see a list of everyone who is 'disregarded' from paying council tax on GOV.UK. You could get 50 per cent off if everyone in your home is 'disregarded' from paying council tax. The maximum 100 per cent discount can be awarded to someone who has a severe mental impairment and lives alone, or if you live in an all-student household. Council tax support for people on benefits or low income Council Tax Support or Council Tax Reduction are available if you claim benefits or on a low income. In some cases, you could be entitled to 100 per cent off your bill. Each council has its own scheme, so discounts and eligibility criteria vary. If you are eligible for a discount, you could get your council tax bill backdated. Whether you are entitled to help through a Council Tax Support scheme largely depends on your income, if you claim benefits, if children live with you, and if other adults are in your household. Contact your local council to see what support could be available. How to challenge your council tax band Not all homes are in the right council tax band - hundreds of thousands of homes are believed to be in the wrong category. You could be owed thousands if your property is in the wrong band. You will also have lower bills going forward. But you have to do your research as you could end up paying more if it turns out you are actually in too low of a banding and you get moved up. Your neighbours could also be affected too if this happens. The first check is to see what council tax band your neighbours are on. You do not even need to ask your neighbours - you can check council tax bands online. Use GOV.UK for houses in England and Wales, or the Scottish Assessors Association for properties in Scotland. Compare homes of similar sizes and value, but be wary that your entire street could be in the wrong band. You will also have to work out how much your property was worth in 1991 as this is when council tax was launched. MoneySavingExpert has a free calculator tool to help, as well as a table on what band you should have been put in. You can contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in England and Wales if you think you are in the wrong band. For homes in
Scotland, contact the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA). You can appeal to an independent valuation tribunal if you are not happy with the decision.