Q I am 80 with a State pension of £95 a week and £108 a month from my deceased husband's private pension. My savings are £20,000. Do I qualify for a council tax reduction?

A No. You are ruled out because your savings are more than £16,000. Some people with savings of more than £16,000 can qualify, but only if they have a low income. For a single pensioner, this means having a weekly income assessed at less than £105.45. Your's works out at £147.84.

Q We are expecting to receive about £10,000 soon. How will this affect the full Council Tax Benefit we have? Also, is there a time limit after which it would be in order for us to give some of it to our daughter?

A If this brings your capital to more than £16,000 (see above), you are likely to lose your entire rebate. If you give away any of your capital, no matter when, the council could treat you as still having it. This happens where they think you have deprived yourself to gain benefit.

Q My State Pension is £79.60 a week and my private pension £1,681 a year. I pay £1,128 a year council tax. I have some savings plus £35 a week from a garage. Can I get a council tax rebate?

A If your capital is no more than £16,000, you will qualify for quite a lot. Remember, however, that if you own a garage and rent it out, its value will count as capital too.

Q My son, who is on Incapacity Benefit, lives with me. I have been claiming Council Tax Benefit for him and not for myself, but have been overpaid £240, which I am repaying. Is this right? My savings are over £16,000.

A If you live with someone who has a low income, you can get a council tax reduction regardless of your finances. This is called Second Adult Rebate (SAR). The maximum SAR is 25 per cent, where the person is on Income Support, or 15 per cent if their income is less than £144 a week. Did the council take the wrong figure for your son's income? Was it their fault and did they work out the SAR correctly? Ask them to explain.