Skip to main content

Council Tax Support Exceptional Hardship Fund

If you get Council Tax Support but still have to pay some Council Tax, you can apply for a Council Tax Support Exceptional Hardship Payment to help cover the shortfall.

The fund is cash limited and the awards are not a payment of the main Council Tax Support Scheme.

Apply for an Exceptional Hardship Payment  

You will need to:

  • tell us why you need the extra help
  • provide details about the money you have coming in and money you spend
  • tell us about your family circumstances
  • provide an email address or contact telephone number
  • upload copies of any documents or other information you think may help us to decide

If you are unable to apply online you can phone 01752 668000.

Provide additional evidence

Use our online form to upload additional evidence.

How much you can claim

The amount you can claim is based on:

  • your financial and family circumstances
  • how urgent your claim is compared to others we receive

Each application is dealt with on an individual basis.

We may only give you help for a short time to cover any temporary difficulties you have paying your Council Tax.

How we make our decision

To decide how much you can get we will look at the following:

  • household income
  • any savings
  • if anyone else can help you financially
  • if you could re-arrange your finances to ease the situation
  • if you have any debts
  • if you or your family have any special circumstances, like ill health or disability
  • any other relevant information

We will write to you with our decision and the reasons for it.

Any Exceptional Hardship help you get will depend on your circumstances and will usually be for a short time only.

Report a change in circumstances

If your circumstances change after you have been awarded an Exceptional Hardship payment you must let us know within 21 days. We can look at our decision and see whether your payment needs to be changed.

How to appeal

Exceptional hardship fund awards are not part of Council Tax Support and do not follow the same appeal process.

If you think a mistake has been made or some information has not been taken into account, we will look at our decision again.

Or write to us at Plymouth City Council, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ

Exceptional Hardship Fund Policy