In this section

If you disagree with a decision that has been made about your Council Tax bill, Business Rates, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, then you have the right appeal.

Find out more using the links below:

• Appeal Business Rates rates bill
• Appeal liability to pay Council Tax
• Appeal valuation bands Council Tax
• Housing benefit and council tax support appeals

Appeal Business Rates rates bill

If you wish to appeal against your rateable value, it is free to do so, visit the Valuation Office Agency website.

You do not have to be represented in discussions about your rateable value or your rates bill, however if you do wish to be represented, qualified and regulated members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV), can provide this service. 

• Visit Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) website
• Visit Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV) website

Further information on Business Rates can be found on the Businesslink website.

Rogue business rates agents

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is urging businesses to protect themselves from rogue business rates agents. VOA is aware of false claims that the deadline for appeals to the 2023 rating lists is 30 June. Businesses can challenge their valuation if they think it’s incorrect and are generally able to challenge their property valuation on the 2023 list at any time until March 2026.

Most agents are reputable and provide a good service, but a small minority act in bad faith. Businesses should be cautious of any agent who tries to pressure them to make a decision or sign a contract, makes claims about ‘unclaimed credits’ or similar or demands large sums of money up front.

The VOA has produced a checklist to help businesses if they want to use a business rates agent. If individuals are concerned about potential misrepresentation by agents, send any evidence to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Appeal liability to pay Council Tax or Business Rate

You may also appeal if you consider that you are not liable to pay, i.e. you don't live there or do not own the property, or we have made a mistake calculating your bill.

If you wish to appeal on these grounds you must contact us in writing with the details, and we will readily review the situation.

Please note: Making an appeal does not allow you to withhold payment of tax owing in the meantime. If your appeal is successful you will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid tax.

If you make an appeal and you are still not satisfied that a proper decision has been reached, you can contact the Listing Officer.

You can find more information on the Valuation Tribunal Service website.

Appeal Council Tax valuation bands 

All Council Tax valuations are based on the price a property would have fetched if it had been sold on 1 April 1991.

Any increase or fall in a dwelling's value which results from general changes in the housing market since then, will not affect your Council Tax band. However, you can appeal if:

• There is a big increase or reduction in the value of your home
• You start or stop using part of the home for business
• You have just moved address (you must appeal within six months of your move)
• The Listing Officer alters the band
• We are sending bills to the wrong person for your home
• Your home should be an exempt dwelling (view discounts and exemptions)
  the amount of the bill is incorrect, for example, if you think a discount should apply or if the council has not reduced the bill for a disability.

Please note: The Listing Officer can increase your band if an error has been made. If you think your band is too low you may wish to can contact the Listing Officer.

If you make an appeal and you are still not satisfied that a proper decision has been reached, you can contact the Listing Officer.

The VOA have more information on their YouTube video channel 

You can find more information on the Valuation Tribunal Service website.

Appeal your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support decision

If you believe our decision about your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support is wrong, you have a few options:

• Ask us to explain the reasons for the decision
• Ask us to review the decision
• Appeal the decision

The decision could relate to:

• The amount of housing benefit / council tax support discount payable
• The rent eligible for housing benefit
• How we have calculated your income
• How we have calculated and recovered an overpayment of housing benefit

Housing Benefit appeals

1.  How to ask for an Explanation, Review, or Appeal:
   You must submit your request in writing to this office within one month of the date on the Housing Benefit decision letter.

You can contact us by:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Post: Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 11, Pershore, WR10 1PU

We will consider the decision made and let you know if we have decided to change the decision or if it should remain as it is.

1. Submitting a Formal Appeal:
   If you want to bypass the request for an explanation and just submit an appeal / or after our explanation, you still disagree with the decision, you can formally appeal via a letter to this office; you don’t have to complete a specific form. Your written appeal must be submitted within one month of the decision letter / or our reconsideration letter, and the appeal must be signed by the person who is claiming the housing benefit.
   
   
2. If the Council Changes the Decision:
   If, after we get your appeal or your request for a reconsideration, we decide that the original decision was wrong, and we change the decision to your advantage, then we will send you a new decision notice and the appeal process will end.
   
   
3. If the Council doesn’t change its decision:
   If we don’t change the decision after reviewing it, your appeal, along with all the relevant paperwork, will be sent to the Tribunal Service to be listed by them for an oral or paper hearing in due course. A single judge, who is impartial and independent from the government, will review your case and make a decision based on the law and the facts.

• For more details, visit the gov.uk website

If you think the Tribunal Service’s decision is wrong in law, you can appeal to the Tribunal Service for a hearing in the Upper Tribunal

Council Tax Support appeals

Requesting a Review:
If you would like us to review the decision made on your Council Tax Support, and before you make any appeal directly to the Valuation Tribunal, you must first contact the council in writing and request a review from this office.
You can send your request to:

• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Post: Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 11, Pershore, WR10 1PU

Appealing the Outcome:

If you’re not happy with our reply, or we don’t reply to you within 2 months, you can appeal directly to the Valuation Tribunal.. Some decisions (mainly administrative ones) can’t be appealed, but the Valuation Tribunal will let you know if the decision you’re disputing cannot be appealed.

The Valuation Tribunal will send your appeal onto us and we will prepare a response with all the relevant information and evidence.  This submission will be sent to both you and the Tribunal at the same time, to be listed by the Valuation Tribunal for an oral or paper hearing in due course.

If you have any further questions regarding appeals please contact us via our contact us page.

In this section

Log in to your Open Portal (Previously Self Service) account to access, manage and view your:

• Council Tax account
• Business Rate account
• Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support claim
• Tenants Housing Benefit claims

Using your Open Portal (Previously Self Service) account can save you time, effort and money. There is no need for you to visit us, ring us or write to us. You can view and manage your account or claim online, at a time that suits you.

Why do I need an account?

• To see full details of your account or claim
• How your charges or benefits are worked out
• Check your discounts and allowances
• See when your payments are due
• View bills and letters we send to you (paperless e-billing)
• Set up a Direct Debit or make a payment
• Change your payment date
• Make an arrangement to pay your council tax if you fall behind with your payments
• Tell us about a change of address
• Search for a Council Tax band or Business Rates rateable value
• Apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support
• Landlords can view benefit awards, payment details and correspondence.

How to register

• Fill your details in on the registration page. You will need to tell us:
  • your account number, claim number or landlord reference (on your bill or benefit letter)
  • your e-mail address
• You will then be asked some security questions about your account or claim. If you answer those questions correctly you will be able to log in immediately.

If you need guidance to use your Open Portal account then contact us. Visit our contact us page.

Other ways to pay Council Tax or Business Rates

If you want to use a different way to pay your Council Tax bill and Business Rates? Visit our How to Pay page for options to pay via Cheque, Post Office or telephone.

In this section

We provide advice and guidance information to help you with new applications for benefits, to assist with the living costs.

In this section, you can also report a change in your circumstances to our team and use the benefits calculator on GOV.UK to find out what benefits you could be eligible for.

Find information to help with your queries relating to benefit overpayments, choosing a bank account, income related benefits and non-dependant deductions.

• Benefits overpayments
• Choosing a bank account
• Income related benefits
• Non-dependent deductions
• Contact us

Benefits overpayments

An overpayment can happen if we pay you benefit that you are not entitled to. For example, if you didn't tell us that your income had increased, and a recalculation of your benefits meant that you had been paid too much benefit.

We recover overpayments from either the person who caused the overpayment or the person who received the overpayment.

If we give you too much benefit, we will send you a letter. The letter we send you will tell you:

• Why we gave you too much benefit
• How much the overpayment is
• If you have to pay back the amount
• How you can appeal if you think this is wrong

If the overpayment relates to council tax support, we will send you a revised council tax bill, and you will usually have to pay more council tax.

Find further appeals information on the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support page.

Please Note: We may also decide to take criminal proceedings in respect of fraudulent overpayments.

Choosing a bank account

You will need a bank account to receive benefit payments, having a bank account will help you to arrange standing order payments to your landlord, if you rent privately. To open an account you can seek advice from any of our contact centres in Droitwich, Evesham, Pershore.

Find out about the types of bank accounts which are available on the Citizens Advice website.

Income related benefits

If you are of working age, financial support will be provided to you by Universal Credit, visit GOV.UK for more information.

People in receipt of Universal Credit may be entitled to Council Tax Support and help with housing costs, this needs to be claimed directly from our new claim page.

If you are over working age, find further information on help you can receive on our Pension Credit page.

Non Dependant Deductions

A non-dependant is someone who is over 18 and lives with you on a non-commercial basis. This means that you are not charging them rent in order to make money, although they may contribute some money towards household bills. An example of a non-dependant could be an adult son or daughter or another relative or even a friend that lives with you.

If a non-dependant lives with you, your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support is reduced by a fixed amount. What that amount is, depends on the circumstances of the non-dependant. This is because the non-dependant is expected to help with the cost of your household expenses (even if they don't).These fixed amounts are set by the government and they apply whether you are of working age or of State Pension age.

For current Housing Benefit non-dependant deductions visit the Shelter website

Deductions for non-dependant couples

If the non-dependants living with you are a couple (living together as a couple, married or in a civil partnership) then their incomes are combined and one deduction is made based on that.

Deductions for a joint tenancy or joint owners

If you have a joint tenancy and the non-dependant lives in the house with both of you, then any deduction will be half of a normal non-dependent amount.

When deductions are not made

In some instances, non-dependant deductions are not made but this will depend on the circumstances of you and your partner and any of your non-dependants.

Deductions are not made if you or your partner: 

• are receiving attendance allowance
• are registered as blind
• are receiving Disability Living Allowance (the care component)    
• are receiving the Personal Independence Payment (the daily living component)

Deductions are not made if your non-dependant is: 

• under 25 and receiving Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance in the assessment phase
• under 25 receiving Universal Credits and is not working  
• receiving a youth training allowance 
• temporarily living elsewhere such as your son or daughter is away at university
• in prison
• a full time student  
• receiving Pension Credit
• receiving hospital inpatient treatment for more than 52 weeks
• serving in the Armed or Reserves Forces and is away on operation but intends to return home between deployments.

Contact us

If you wish to speak to someone regarding your benefits application or overpaid Housing Benefit please call 03004 560 560

Visit our contact us page.

Please note: calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.

If you have any further comments, suggestions or complaints please: write to us at South Worcestershire Revenues and Benefits Shared Services, PO Box 11, Pershore, WR10 1PU, or you can e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You should note that Council Tax enquiries should be directed to the Council Tax department and not the Benefits department.