Getting money off your council tax when you are moved to Universal Credit | Mencap | Easy Read

Getting money off your council tax when you are moved to Universal Credit

A red cross is on top of a New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) leaflet

Some benefits like Employment and Support Allowance are ending.

Employment and Support Allowance is often called ESA.

If you get ESA you will move onto a new benefit called Universal Credit.

You can find out more about Universal Credit on our website.

A picture of an old benefit leaflet next to a picture of the new Universal Credit leaflet with 2 weeks from a calendar above them

Moving from ESA to Universal Credit is called migration.

A Council Tax bill with some money beside it and an arrow pointing down.

What will happen to my Council Tax Support?

You might be getting help with your Council Tax bill.

This is called Council Tax Support, or Council Tax Reduction.

It keeps your Council Tax bill down.

A woman looking at a letter in front of her home. Underneath the picture are the words Council Tax Support

You need to make sure that your Council Tax Support keeps going when you move to the Universal Credit benefit.

A brown envelope with a migration notice letter coming out of it

How to make sure your Council Tax Support keeps going

You should get a letter called a migration notice that says you need to claim Universal Credit.

A man sits at a desk, writing. He is sat next to a woman who is smiling while on the phone. They are both in a building which is labelled 'Council'

When you get your migration notice, contact the Council Tax department at your council to let them know:

A man on the phone and a woman at a laptop with a calendar behind them with a date circled in red

when your old benefits are to stop

The front cover of a Universal Credit leaflet next to a calendar with a date circled in red pen

when you will start getting Universal Credit.

A man writing in a diary at a desk

Write down the name of who you speak to and the date.

A hand holding a pen and writing the letter a in black ink.

Ask the council to write down what they will do.

A man using a photocopier

Ask the council to give you a copy of what they write down.

A laptop showing a cursor on the screen over to the word click

Find out how to contact your council on the government website.

A man is talking to another man who is in a wheelchair

If you need help to contact your council, ask someone for support.

This could be:

your support worker
a family member
a friend or someone you trust.

A woman with a headset and a speech bubble which has an image of a signpost inside

If you would like more information about this Easy Read please contact the Learning Disability Helpline by:

Phone: 0808 808 1111
Email: [email protected]