Local government revenues officer Job Information | National Careers Service

The work

As a revenues officer, it would be your job to collect rents and council tax, and deal with the related administrative work. Your duties would include:

• calculating rents, council tax and business rates
• sending bills and issuing reminders
• collecting and processing payments
• dealing with enquiries face-to-face, by letter or by phone
• keeping accurate clerical and computerised records
• recovering arrears of rent or council tax, taking legal action where necessary.

As a benefits officer, you would be responsible for paying out housing and council tax benefits. Your duties would include:

• assessing whether people are entitled to benefits
• checking and processing claims forms
• making payments
• communicating with social services, housing associations and Department of Work and Pensions staff
• dealing with enquiries face-to-face, by letter or by phone
• keeping accurate clerical and computerised records
• recovering overpayments of benefit, taking legal action when necessary.

With experience, you could also work on housing valuations or investigate benefit fraud.

Hours

In a full-time job you would work 35 to 37 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Part-time work is often available.

You would be based in an office which would be partly open to the public, and spend some of your time dealing with enquiries at a counter or reception. In some jobs you would travel around your local area to visit benefit claimants at home.

Income

Salaries can be between £16,000 and £22,000 a year. Team leaders and fraud investigators can earn between £24,000 and £36,000.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

Employers will expect you to have computer skills, and previous experience of working in a team in an administrative, financial or customer service job.

For some jobs you may be asked for at least four GCSEs (A-C) including maths and English. Alternatively, many employers do not ask for qualifications, but instead will test you in the skills needed for the job, such as communication, IT skills and ability with numbers.

You should check exact entry requirements with each employer.

Training and development

When you start your job you will usually receive in-house training in benefit rules and specialist computer software, and you will also learn on the job from experienced staff.

Your training would usually include the chance to gain a work-based qualification from the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV), such as:

• Level 3 Certificate in Local Taxation and Benefits
• NVQ Level 3 in Housing and Council Tax Benefit
• NVQ Level 3 in Local Taxation.

You must already be working in local authority revenues or benefits administration to take these qualifications, which lead to Technician membership of the IRRV.

With experience, you could take the IRRV Diploma and Honours qualifications (replacing the Full Professional Qualification from September 2009), which could help your career if you want to become a revenues or benefits team leader or manager. Before you can start the Diploma, you will need either:

• an IRRV NVQ or the Level 3 Certificate, or
• at least five years' experience in revenues or benefits administration.

You can study for the IRRV qualifications by work-based training and assessment, day release, block release or distance learning. See the IRRV website for more details.

Skills and knowledge

To be a local government revenues officer you should have:

• good spoken and written communication skills
• an assertive but tactful manner with customers who may be angry or upset
• the ability to understand complex rules and explain them clearly to customers
• good mathematical skills
• computer literacy
• the ability to work as part of a team
• accuracy and attention to detail
• problem-solving skills.

More information

LGcareers
www.lgcareers.com

Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV)
5th Floor Northumberland House,
303 - 306 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7JZ
Tel: 020 7831 3505
www.irrv.net

Opportunities

You could work for local councils all over the UK, or for one of the growing number of private companies that are contracted to provide benefits services to local councils.

With experience, you could be promoted to manage a team or department, or move into other local government jobs. Alternatively, you could move into benefits advice work with organisations such as Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Jobs are advertised in the local press, Jobcentre Plus and on council websites. You may also find the following websites useful for job vacancies (links open in new window):

• IRRV Jobs Online
• LGjobs
• Jobs Go Public