Discounts for occupied properties
A full council tax bill assumes there are at least two adults living in the property.
If only one adult lives in a property, we can lower the council tax by 25 percent. We call this a ‘single person discount’.
Some people are not counted as living in a property for council tax purposes, so even if there is more than one adult living in the property, we can still give a discount.
Check by counting how many people live in your property, leaving out:
- apprentices and youth trainees
- students, student nurses and foreign language assistants
- hospital patients or care home patients
- people who are severely mentally impaired
- people for whom child benefit is payable
- people aged under 20 years who have recently left school or college
- carers and care workers
- people in prison or on remand
- members of religious communities, such as monks and nuns
- residents of hostels or night shelters
- spouses of students where they are prevented (by immigration rules) from paid work or claiming benefit
- people who are diplomats, members of international headquarters, defence organisations and visiting forces
The amount of discount you can get will be:
- 25 percent if only one person is counted as resident
- 50 percent if no one is counted as resident
- 50 percent annexe discount if it’s unoccupied or lived in by a relative of the main householder
- 100 percent annexe discount if the person living there is a dependant relative
If no one counts as resident because all the residents are severely mentally impaired or students, the property will be exempt from council tax.
The person responsible for paying council tax must complete the right discount claim form if they want to apply. You can download the application form, complete and upload it using the general enquiries online form.
There are discounts and/or exemptions for homes that can’t be lived in, unoccupied homes and properties undergoing major repairs.
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