Contact your local council and ask about Council Tax reductions and Council Tax Benefit. The place to go is the office of the council which sends your Council Tax bill. There should be someone there to help you fill the form in. Council Tax Benefit can be backdated for up to 12 months for people over 60. But that will be reduced to 3 months for claims made from 6 October 2008.

If you claim Pension Credit you should be asked to claim Council Tax Benefit at the same time. From October 2008 the claim will be made automatically. If you claim before this date, you will be sent the form to sign and return to the local council. If you already get Pension Credit, call the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234 (or 0808 100 6165 in Northern Ireland).

If you have internet access you can check your entitlement to Council Tax Benefit at www.entitledto.com