26 April 2023 , 09:37
907
0
A fan of Martin Lewis has explained how their daughter got a £10,000 council tax refund - and many others could be due money back due.
Ronnie shared her story with the MoneySavingExpert.com website and she was featured as one of their "Successes of the week" in its latest weekly newsletter.
Ronnie told MSE her daughter has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and has been affected cognitively by the disease since 2009.
She explained she had watched Martin Lewis' ITV show a few months back on council tax, which highlighted discounts you can get if someone is "severely mentally impaired" (SMI).
After this, she decided to look into it for her daughter.
Martin Lewis issues 8-week warning to phone users ahead of huge price hikes
She said: "Our daughter has MS, and has been affected cognitively by the disease since 2009.
"We gathered her medical records and a new letter from her doctor, and applied for a rebate. They told us she no longer had to pay her council tax and would get back £938 [for this year]."
However, this wasn't all Ronnie managed to get through following Martin's advice.
She added: "We were delighted, but noted you'd mentioned some councils give back payments, so gathered her evidence back to when she had a severe attack and claimed for those years.
"The result was a total of £10,297.
"As her parents, we've tried to keep the wolf from her door, but this money and the savings going forward are immense, and we can only thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you do.
"We'll be listening in to all of your future programmes."
The MoneySavingExpert wrote in his weekly newsletter that Ronnie's story had "moved" him and it inspired him to write an entire section on council tax.
Martin explained how the term "severe mental impairment" was a "horrid term" but it is defined as "a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning that appears to be permanent".
Conditions which can be classed as SMI include dementia, profound learning difficulties, brain injuries, severe strokes, or severe Parkinson's - it can be many others too, however, a doctor will have to certify you as being "SMI".
Martin Lewis urges everyone with a mobile phone to send two texts to cut bills
To get a discount on your council tax for SMI, you will also need to be claiming, or eligible for, a qualifying benefit.
These can be either:
- Attendance allowance,
- Disability living allowance
- Personal independence payment
- Severe disablement allowance
- Some parts of Universal Credit
The amount of discount you receive also depends on how many people are living in the property.
If you live alone then you could get a 100% discount, living with an adult carer then you could get a 50% and so on.
Martin also noted that there is no legal rule for your local council to backdate the claim, however some councils will.