Other Discounts
The Council Tax charge is based on the assumption that there are at least two adults (over the age of 18) living there. If there is only one adult you may be able to claim a discount and we could reduce your bill by 25% - see Single Person Discount.
There are times when you may claim a discount even if there are more than two adults living in a property. This is because in some circumstances certain people are not counted when working out the number of occupiers.
Who isn't counted?
- 18 year olds whose parents still receive child benefit for them.
- recent school or college leavers under 20, where they left school after 1st May, having finished a qualifying course of education.
- students under 20 studying up to A-level.
- foreign Language Assistants registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges and appointed as a foreign language assistant at a school or college in Great Britain.
- full time students attending college or university including student nurses studying academic courses at college or university. N.B student nurses receiving traditional hospital based training are not counted as students for this discount.
- foreign partners or dependants of students who is not a British citizen and is not allowed to work or claim benefits in this country.
(Please see information on student discounts).
- apprentices employed to learn a trade, business, profession, office, employment or vocation and undertaking a programme of training leading to a qualification recognised by the National Council for Vocational Qualification who earn less than £195 a week.
- National Traineeship trainees under 25 receiving training in line with an individual training plan under the National Traineeship scheme.
(Please see information on apprentices/YT trainees)
- convicted and remand prisoners (except people in prison for non-payment of fines or Council Tax).
(Please see information on prisoners)
- people hospitalised under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1983.
- people resident in hospital for a minimum of six months.
- people resident in care homes, nursing homes or residential homes.
(Please see information on homes and hospital patients)
- people classed as severely mentally impaired and entitled to certain Social Security benefits or allowances. This included people severely mentally impaired because of Alzheimer's disease, a stroke or other forms of dementia.
(Please see information on mentally impaired)
- members of religious communities whose main occupation is prayer contemplation, education or the relief of the suffering and who have no income or capital of their own. They must be dependent on the religious community for their material needs;
- people caring for someone with a disability who is not a husband, wife, civil partner, partner or child under 18. They must provide care for a minimum of 35 hours a week, live in the same property and the person for whom they are caring must be in receipt of certain Social security benefits.
(Please see information on carers).
- people working as carers for a charity, the Crown or on behalf of a local authority for at least 24 hours a week, earning less than £36 a week and living at the home where they provide care or at one provided by the person being cared for/ Local authority/Charity.
(Please see information on carers working for a charity)
- members of certain international headquarters and defence organisations and their dependants are not counted;
- members of a visiting force or a member of a civilian part of that force. Dependants of a member of that force are not counted providing that the dependant is neither a British citizen and does not normally live in the UK;
- people living in certain hostels and night shelters provided for the homeless, for example those run by the Salvation Army and Church Army and have to share kitchen, bathroom and living room. They must not be tenants. (Staff who live and work in such hostels are not counted either);
- a person who has diplomatic, Commonwealth or consular privilege immunity will not be counted so long as they are not British. Their dependants will not be counted either.
If you require any further information, please contact us at Council Tax.
If you apply for any of the above discounts it is important that you continue to make the payments shown on your bill until you are advised whether your application has been successful and a revised bill has been issued.
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