Council tax concessions
Council tax is a local tax which you pay to the local council. It is based on 2 things - the value of your house (the council tax band) and the number of adults aged 18 and over living there. There are 3 ways to get your council tax reduced and you can use all 3 ways to reduce your council tax if you qualify for all of them.
You may not have been able to use some of these discounts when your son or daughter was a child but once they reach 18 you may now find you can qualify for a carer’s discount.
1. You can get the council tax band reduced to a lower level if someone in your house is disabled and the house has one of the following features:
- A room (not a bathroom, kitchen or lavatory) which is mainly used by the disabled person ; or
- An extra bathroom or kitchen to meet the needs of the disabled person ; or
- Enough floor space to permit the use of a wheelchair
The feature must be essential and make it possible for the disabled person to live there or mean that, without it, their disability would become more severe.
2. You can get a discount on the amount payable if fewer than 2 adults count as residing there. Adults who may live in the house but don't count towards the council tax can include carers (though not carers of partners or children under 18); students; and adults who are 'severely mentally impaired'.
If applicable, more than one carer in a house can qualify for the carer’s discount.
If only one person counts as being resident then you can get a 25% discount. If all the people living in a house are disregarded then you can get a 50% discount.
If the only people living in the house are people with a ‘severe mental impairment’ then they are exempt from any liability for council tax, water or waste water charges.
3. You may qualify for Council tax benefit if you are on a low income.
To claim: get the relevant forms from the Council tax section of the local council.
For more information see: