If you belong to any of the groups below, you could get a discount on your Council Tax - or be exempt altogether. 

Contact us if you think you’re eligible to receive any of these reductions.

You could get a discount if you are:

  • The only adult living in a property
  • Caring for someone who’s disabled, who isn’t your husband/wife or child under 18
  • Living in a home where you, or someone you live with, needs an extra room/space because of a disability
  • A prisoner, or if someone you live with is imprisoned
  • Living with someone who’s 18 or over, who you receive child benefits for
  • A full-time student, youth training trainee, apprentice or student nurse

You could be exempt if you are:

  • A full-time student, youth training trainee, apprentice or student nurse, living solely with other full-time students
  • 18 or 19 years old and still in education, or have just left school
  • Severely mentally impaired and living alone
  • A patient in hospital
  • A patient in a care home
  • Staying in certain hostels or night shelters

More on disability reduction

Disabled Person refers to a person who’s substantially and permanently disabled. They can be an adult or child and don’t have to be the person who pays the Council Tax.

You may qualify for a reduction if your property has at least one of the following:

  • An additional bathroom or kitchen to meet the needs of the disabled person.
  • A room (other than bathroom, kitchen or toilet) to meet the needs of, and used mainly by, the disabled person.
  • Extra space inside the property to allow for the use of a wheelchair. The room or wheelchair must be essential, or of major importance to the disabled person’s well-being. Wheelchairs only for outdoor use are excluded.

If eligible the charge for Council Tax will be one band lower than the actual valuation band. If the property is in Band A the reduction will be 1/9th of the charge for Band D in the area.

Exemptions from paying: occupied properties

  • Property occupied solely by full-time students 
  • Student halls of residence 
  • Property owned by the Secretary of State for Defence and held for armed forces accommodation 
  • Property occupied by visiting forces 
  • Dwellings occupied by under 18 year olds 
  • Dwellings occupied solely by those who are severely mentally impaired 
  • Dwellings which are the sole or main residence of a person who isn’t a British citizen, has diplomatic privileges and would be liable for Council Tax were it not for this exemption 
  • Dwellings which form part of a single property (for example annexes) occupied by a dependant relative of the person living in the other part. A relative is dependant if he/she is 65 years old or over and is disabled, or has learning difficulties/a mental health disorder

Exemptions from paying: empty properties

  • Empty and unfurnished property needing, or undergoing major repairs or structural alteration - maximum of 12 months. If the property remains empty after 12 months a 150% charge will apply
  • Empty property owned and previously used by a charity – exemption lasts for 6 months
  • Empty and substantially unfurnished property – exemption lasts for 6 months, after this 100% Council Tax will apply. If the property continues to be unoccupied after 12 months, the charge will increase to 150%
  • Empty property which is the home of someone who’s in prison
  • Empty property which was the home of someone who’s gone to a residential home or hospital to receive residential care
  • Empty property awaiting for probate or letters of administration to be granted (exemption lasts until probate is granted and for 6 months after this, provided the property remains in the hands of the personal representative) 
  • Property which is empty because occupation is illegal 
  • Empty property waiting to be occupied by a minister of religion 
  • Empty property which was the home of someone who’s moved into another residence (not a residential home or hospital) to receive personal care 
  • Property left empty by someone who’s moved away to provide personal care for another person 
  • Empty property which was home to one or more students (exemption lasts as long as the person who’d normally pay the Council Tax remains a student) 
  • Empty property where a mortgage lender is in possession 
  • Empty property where the person who’d normally pay the Council Tax is a bankrupt’s or insolvent’s trustee 
  • Empty caravan pitch or mooring 
  • Empty annexes which can’t be let separately

This is a general guide to various discounts/exemptions available. If you require a more detailed explanation of a specific discount/exemption, contact us.