Apply for a Council Tax discount

Some residents or properties are eligible to receive a discount on their Council Tax, or in some cases not pay any at all.

You can find out about the available discounts below. If you are on a low income, you may also be eligible for:

You need to continue to pay your Council Tax in full until any discount is applied and your bill is amended.

Remember if your circumstances change you need to let us know as soon as possible, in case it affects what you are entitled to:

Find out about discounts for:

If you're the only adult living in your home - single person discount

You may be eligible for a 25% Council Tax discount if you are aged 18 or over and:

  • you live alone in your home

To apply for a single person discount please complete the form below:

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School or college leavers

School or college leavers will be disregarded from paying Council Tax until 1st November in that same year if they:

  • are under 20 years old
  • have left school or college after 1st April

Please contact us to apply. We will need to see evidence of child benefit entitlement.

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Students

Full-time students do not have to pay Council Tax if:

  • they are enrolled on a course with a prescribed educational establishment located anywhere in the European Union
  • they are required to attend their course for at least 24 weeks each year
  • they are required to study for at least 21 hours per week during term time

Students under the age of 20 will not be counted if:

  • they are enrolled on a course with a prescribed educational establishment located anywhere in the European Union
  • their course lasts for more than three months
  • their course leads to a qualification up to but not above A-Level standard or equivalent
  • they are required to study for at least 12 hours a week

To apply please complete the form below:

If everyone living in a property is a full-time student they are all exempt from paying Council Tax.

To apply for an exemption please complete the form below:

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Student nurses

Student nurses do not need to pay Council Tax if they are enrolled on a course to become a registered nurse, midwife or health visitor.

To apply please complete the form below:

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Apprentices

Apprentices are not eligible to pay Council Tax if:

  • they are employed to learn a trade or profession
  • they are working towards a qualification recognised by the National Council for Vocational Qualifications
  • they are earning less than £195 per week, and the amount paid is much less than what they can expect to earn once they qualify

To apply please complete the form below:

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Carers

Professional care workers or live-in carers may not be counted for the purposes of Council Tax.

Professional carers are disregarded if:

  • they are employed by a local authority, charity or the person they provide care for
  • they provide care for at least 24 hours per week
  • they are paid no more than £44 per week
  • they live where the care is given, or in premises provided by their employer

Unpaid carers are disregarded if:

  • they look after someone who is not their partner or child
  • they live in the same property as the person they are caring for
  • they provide care for at least 35 hours per week

and the person they provide care for receives one of the following benefits:

  • Attendance Allowance at the higher rate
  • Disability Living Allowance for care at either the middle or highest rate
  • Personal Independence Payment daily living component
  • an increased rate of Disablement Pension

To apply please complete the form below:

Other disregarded people include:

  • long-term hospital patients or care home residents
  • people in prison
  • YT trainees under the age of 25 and training under the Employment and Training Act 1973
  • hostel or night shelter residents
  • religious community members who have no income or savings
  • foreign diplomats, members of international headquarters, defence organisation or visiting forces

To apply please complete the form below:

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People with disabilities: Severe mental impairment

People with a severe mental impairment are not included when working out Council Tax.

This can include people with Alzheimer's Disease or other forms of dementia, or those with severe learning difficulties.

If you think someone you live with has a severe mental impairment you must provide a certificate of confirmation from a registered medical practitioner, and the person must be entitled to one of the following qualifying state benefits:

  • Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Attendance Allowance or Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Severe Disablement Allowance
  • the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), paid either at the middle or highest rate; or the standard or enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), under s78(3) Welfare Reform Act 2012
  • an increase in the rate of a disablement pension
  • Constant Attendance Allowance in respect of some pensions
  • Income Support that includes a disability premium

If everyone in a household is severely mentally impaired, no Council Tax has to be paid.

To apply for either a discount or an exemption please complete the form below:

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People with disabilities: Disabled band reduction

If you, or someone you live with, has a disability, you may be entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax. This is worked out by lowering your home's valuation band to the next one down, unless your property is in band A, in which case it will be reduced by 1/9th of band D.

To qualify for this reduction, your property must have one of the following:

  • a room, other than a bathroom, kitchen or toilet, which meets the needs of the disabled person
  • an additional bathroom or kitchen which meets the needs of the disabled person
  • enough indoor space for the disabled person to use a wheelchair

To apply please complete the form below:

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Annexes

You may be entitled to a 50% discount on Council Tax for an annexe which is being used by:

  • the occupier of the main property, or
  • a relative of the main occupier

This may be awarded in addition to another discount where applicable, for example a single person discount.

To be considered for a discount an annexe must:

  • form part of a single property that includes at least one other property, ie the annexe is within the grounds of the main house (although not necessarily attached)
  • be included in the title deeds of the main house and not registered separately

To apply please complete the form below:

If an annexe is being occupied by a dependent relative of the main occupier, the annexe is eligible for a Council Tax exemption. A dependent relative is one who is one of the following:

  • aged 65 or over
  • severely mentally impaired
  • substantially or permanently disabled

To apply please complete the form below:

If an annexe is unoccupied and cannot be let separately from the main property due to planning restrictions, it is exempt.

To apply please complete the form below:

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Exempt unoccupied properties

Some empty properties are entitled to a temporary Council Tax exemption, which means no Council Tax is owed. For more information please see:

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Other discounts

Council Tax is not charged if a property is:

  • student halls of residence
  • occupied by members of the armed forces, visiting military or a defence organisation
  • occupied by someone with diplomatic immunity

To apply please complete the form below:

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Page last updated: 27 June 2024

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