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Martin Lewis urges 'four checks' for anyone paying Council Tax as UK households could be owed thousandsThere are four reasons why you might be owed thousands back from Council Tax, according

to Martin LewisCommentsNewsCharlotte Fisher14:46, 04 Jun 2025Updated 16:13, 04 Jun 2025Martin Lewis has offered four pieces of advice on how to save money on your Council Tax(Image:

inyourArea) Martin Lewis has said thousands of people could be owed '£1,000s back' from Council Tax due to overpaying. The Money Saving Expert said there are "four crucial reductions to

explore."

There are four different ways in which people may be overpaying their council tax without realising and Mr Lewis is advising people to check if they are eligible for a discount using his

guide on MoneySavingExpert.com.

‌ The circumstances he lists for those who could be owed money back from Council Tax are: if you're in too high a band, if you are missing a discount, if you're due support because you're on

a low income or if you're owed Council Tax credit back.

‌ The advice comes just weeks after Martin Lewis went on Good Morning Britain to speak with Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden about the "most vicious, aggressive and damaging

form of debt collection" - and it was revealed that the government is launching a consultation on changes.

Yesterday, June 3, when Mr Lewis issued his Council Tax advice in his latest newsletter, he said: "There's a lot wrong with Council Tax - unsurprisingly, as in England & Scotland, we still

rely on a supposedly stopgap valuation done 34 years ago, to dictate what band a home's in even though much of the country is now unrecognisable compared to then.

"Yet there is some hope. A fortnight ago, while interviewing cabinet minister Pat McFadden on Good Morning Britain, I questioned him about the counter-productive Council Tax debt collection

methods used by many councils (so aggressive, they'd make the banks blush!).

Article continues below "He replied that the Govt would soon launch a Council Tax consultation (Eng), and to my delight promised me he'd ensure preventing the rapid escalation of debt

collection would go in it (currently, within 6wks, you can go from missing a monthly payment to bailiffs wanting a year's money, plus costs). I even recorded an admittedly teary video after

a win on such a destructive issue."

Below is his advice on how to see if you could save money on your Council Tax by looking at the four reduction types.

Too high a band for Council Tax According to Mr. Lewis there are up to 400,000 homes in too a high a band that are subsequently overpaying.

‌ This is because in England and Scotland the valuation was done back in 1991, as a stopgap to urgently set the system up, via 2nd gear valuations - which was often estate agents driving

past homes to classify them.

Council Tax discounts Certain people may be due a Council Tax discount, such as single adults, carers, students and those with Severe Mental Impairments.

For example, you may be about to get a discount if your property has been adapted for someone with a disability. You could drop a Council Tax band, though this has to be reconfirmed each

year.

‌ If you're a single person living alone you could get a 25% discount on your bill. In general you may get a discount if your living situation isn't two or more qualifying adults living in

the property - as this is what the bill is based on.

For full time students there's no Council Tax bill at all and if you have a live-in carer you may be able to reduce your bill by 50%.

Lower income Council Tax Support According to Mr. Lewis, up to 2.25 million people on lower incomes miss out on Council Tax Support worth up to £1,500 a year.

‌ Separate from discounts, every council runs its own Council Tax Reduction scheme, so what you get depends on where you live, but it can cut your Council Tax bill by up to 100%, though it

varies by council.

If you already qualify for a means-tested benefit, such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit, you may be due this - but even if you're entitled to it you won't get it automatically and must

apply.

Refunds for overpaid Council Tax There are around 808,000 homes due a cut of the £141 million that local authorities across Britain have in overpaid Council Tax.

Article continues below Those most likely to be able to claim are those who have moved out of a council area since 1993 and weren't paying by Direct Debit.

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To see Martin Lewis' Council Tax guide in full, including how to calculate if you're paying too much and how to challenge your Council Tax, click here.