Trainee Revenues and Benefits Officer (Part Time)

Isle of Wight Council; Ryde; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 25,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave and holidays

Local Government pension scheme

Relocation scheme up to £8,000 (where/

Travel allowance possible if commuting

Discounted Solent ferry travel

Island bus network discount

Cycle to work scheme

Staff parking permit scheme

Discounted island sports & leisure gym

National and local discounts & schemes

Job summary

The Isle of Wight Council is seeking a part-time Trainee Revenues and Benefits Officer to support billing, assessment, collection and recovery of Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support. The role is office based with potential for agile or remote working, and a fixed term appointment to end November 2028.

You will assess liability for Council Tax, process Housing Benefit claims, maintain records, and assist with recovery actions.

Qualifications

• Excellent numeracy and accuracy in all tasks.
• Ability to liaise with customers and internal teams.
• Proven ability to meet strict deadlines in performance-driven environments.
• Interest in apprenticeship training.

Responsibilities

• Assessing liability for Council Tax and processing claims for Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support.
• Ensuring customer accounts and benefit claims are accurate, verified, and kept up to date.
• Identifying and applying relevant discounts, exemptions, reliefs, and changes in circumstances.
• Monitoring, processing, and reconciling payments, including identifying and recovering overpayments.
• Maintaining Council Tax, Business Rates, Benefit, and Support Scheme records in line with legislation and procedures.
• Undertaking enquiries, gathering evidence, and liaising with inspectors, landlords, external agencies, and internal departments.
• Supporting customers by providing clear advice, signposting to wider services, and assisting with welfare-related enquiries.
• Managing incoming and outgoing customer calls, emails, and correspondence.
• Taking appropriate recovery actions, including enforcement and court-related processes, when required.

Skills

Word processing

Numeracy

Verbal communication

Teamwork

Deadline-driven

Education

Level 4 IRRV Revenues and Benefits Apprenticeship

Job description

Please note: Previous applicants need not reapply, as original applications will still be considered

This role is office based, with potential forsome agile or remote working

Fixed term appointment for 2 years to end November 2028

The Benefits team is currently seeking a part-time Trainee Revenues and Benefits Officers to join their busy service, supporting the billing, assessment, collection and recovery of Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support.

Main responsibilities

• Assessing liability for Council Tax and processing claims for Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support.
• Ensuring customer accounts and benefit claims are accurate, verified, and kept up to date.
• Identifying and applying relevant discounts, exemptions, reliefs, and changes in circumstances.
• Monitoring, processing, and reconciling payments, including identifying and recovering overpayments.
• Maintaining Council Tax, Business Rates, Benefit, and Support Scheme records in line with legislation and procedures.
• Undertaking enquiries, gathering evidence, and liaising with inspectors, landlords, external agencies, and internal departments.
• Supporting customers by providing clear advice, signposting to wider services, and assisting with welfare-related enquiries.
• Managing incoming and outgoing customer calls, emails, and correspondence.
• Taking appropriate recovery actions, including enforcement and court-related processes, when required.

About you

An eye for detail will be essential and the successful candidate will have:

• Excellent word processing and numeracy skills
• Strong verbal communication skills with the ability to liaise at all levels
• Demonstrable team-working skills
• A meticulous and organised approach to workloads
• The ability to work to strict deadlines in a performance-driven environment

Training and Development

As part of the role, you will be working towards the Level 4 IRRV Revenues and Benefits Apprenticeship, gaining professional skills and knowledge across both service areas. For further information about the course, please see: Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation.

For further information or an informal discussion please contact Becky Dollery on 01983 821000 ext. 8965 or email [e-mail] / Imogen Kelly on 01983 821000 ext. 8946 or email [e-mail].

Join #TeamIWC and you'll receive our staff benefits package, including:

• Annual leave entitlement of 32 days p/a PLUS public holidays!
• Local Government pension scheme
• Discounted Solent ferry travel
• Island bus network discount
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff parking permit scheme
• Discounted island sports & leisure gym membership
• National and local discounts & benefits schemes
• Relocation scheme of up to £8,000 may be available for some roles (subject to criteria)
• Travel allowance may be available if commuting from the mainland (subject to criteria)

To discover more about our careers please visit. Find out more about Our culture and environment & living on the Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight Council currently does not have a license to sponsor overseas workers.

We actively promote the diversity of our workforce, and provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees. We are an equal opportunities employer, proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community.

We are a Disability Confident employer. Along with a number of commitments, this means, providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.

The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination, and this is supported by;

unacceptable behaviour policy

employee code of conduct

The Isle of Wight Council’s Terms & Conditions of employment are available upon request. Please contact our recruitment team via [e-mail] if you would like to receive a copy.

Please note, appointment to a regulated role will require you to provide additional personal details, including full employment history, referee information, and consent for any required safeguarding checks, as part of the Council’s commitment to safer recruitment and compliance with regulatory requirements.

We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. Please revisit our job page for alternate posts that may be suitable.