Single occupier discount and other disregards

Apply or cancel single person discount

Single person discount

A Council Tax bill is based on two or more adults living in a property as their main home. If only one person over 18 lives in the property, we may reduce your Council Tax by 25%.

To qualify for the discount, you must be:

• aged 18 years or older
• the only adult living in your property

This discount only applies to the main property where you live. It will not apply to any additional properties you live in as the only resident.

If someone who normally lives with you is temporarily away from home, for example working away or on holiday and only comes back occasionally, your property still counts as that person's main home, and you wouldn't be eligible for single person discount in these circumstances.

Apply for other discounts or Disregards

Council Tax discounts

Apprentice

An apprentice must:

• be employed to learn a trade, business, profession, office job or vocation
• be undertaking a training programme leading to a qualification recognised by the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (or another accredited qualification and curriculum authority)
• be earning or receiving an allowance of no more than £195 per week

Carer

If you live with, and care for, a person with a disability who is receiving one of benefits below, you must be providing care for at least 35 hours a week on average. You will not qualify if you are caring for your partner or child (if under 18 years old)

• a higher rate attendance allowance
• the highest rate care component of a disability living allowance
• an increase in the constant attendance allowance

Care worker

You must:

• be employed by the crown, a charity, a local authority or by the person you are caring for
• be paid no more than £44 per week
• be living in the premises provided by the agency they are employed by or by the person they are caring for
• the care worker must be providing care ad support to one or more people for at least 24 hours per week

Disabled relief

You may be able to get your bill reduced by one band if your home has certain features which are essential, or of major importance, to the well being of a person with a disability, whether an adult or child, who is resident in the dwelling. These features are:

• a room other than a bathroom, kitchen or toilet which is used mainly by the person with a disability. For example, you might get a reduction if you have an extension or extra room used for storing dialysis equipment or wheelchairs, or a bedroom on the ground floor in a dwelling with two or more floors;
• an additional bathroom or kitchen for the use of the person with the disability;
• extra space inside the dwelling to allow for the use of a wheelchair;

Relief may apply to a dwelling in band A, and the amount payable is calculated as five ninths of the charge in band D

Hospital patients

You will not be counted if you are a patient in a hospital which is your only or main home. If you are in hospital for a short time and you have a home elsewhere, you will go on paying Council Tax for your property.

Hostels and night shelters

Some dwellings such as short stay hostels or night shelters provide communal accommodation for people who have no fixed abode and no settled way of life. Anyone whose main or only accommodation is in this type of dwelling will not be counted.

Members of religious communities

You will not be counted if you are a member of a religious community, provided that you depend on the community for your material needs and have no personal income or capital. (This will still apply if you receive income from a pension from a former job). Only members of religious communities whose main work is prayer, contemplation, the relief of suffering, education or any combination of these will not be counted.

Member and dependants of visiting forces

The person must have an association with an organisation designated under Part 1 of the Visiting Forces Act 1952

Uninhabitable

A vacant dwelling which either (a) requires or is undergoing major structural repair works to render it habitable or (b) is undergoing or has undergone structural alteration.

A 25% discount will be applied for a maximum period of 12 months from the date the property first became vacant.

Prisoners

Prisoners who are on remand or in prison will not be counted. However, people who are imprisoned for not paying a fine or non-payment of Council Tax will be counted.

Residential care or nursing home

You will not be counted if you live, and are receiving care, in one of these homes, as long as it is your only or main residence. The home must be a residential care home, nursing home, or mental nursing home that is registered under the Registered Homes Act 1984. The home must be providing care because of old age, disability, past or present alcohol or drug dependency, or past or present mental disorder.

Severe Mental Impairment

Someone who has been medically certified as having a permanent condition that affects their intelligence and social functioning (such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, but many other conditions may apply) is 'disregarded for council tax purposes'. It means you can claim:

• A 25 per cent discount - if you live with someone with a severe mental impairment and no other adults, or only adults who have also been disregarded for council tax purposes
• A 100 per cent discount - if you have a severe mental impairment and live alone

A person will need a certificate from his/her doctor to say that he/she is severely mentally impaired. You will need to supply proof of any qualifying benefit:

• attendance allowance under 64 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
• severe disablement allowance
• the highest or middle rate of the care component of a disability living allowance
• the daily living component of personal independence payment
• an increase in the rate of your disablement pension (where constant attendance is needed
• incapacity benefit
• employment support allowance
• unemployability allowance or supplement
• constant attendance allowance or income support including a disability premium

If you are uncertain about whether you are in receipt of a qualifying benefit please complete the application form sending details of your benefits.

School or college leavers

If you are 18 or 19 years old and are in full-time education (other than higher education). This includes people of that age who are at school or college and are on a course up to, and including A level standard. You will also not be counted if you are at least 18 years old and someone is entitled to child benefit in respect of you, or would be if you were not in local authority care. If you are an 18 or 19-year-old who left school after 30 April you will not be counted until 1 November of the same year. (You may continue not to be counted as a student if you go on to further or higher education).

Students - full-time

You will not be counted if you are a student (which includes an overseas student) on a full-time course of education or on a qualifying course of education. You are considered to be a student if:

• your course covers at least one academic or calendar year
• the course requires at least 24 weeks in each academic or calendar year of study tuition
• the course requires period of study, tuition or work experience which together total an average of 21 hours per week in each academic or calendar year

You will need to provide a 'certificate proof of student status' for all students in the property

Spouse of certain students

A person must be a non-British spouse or dependant of one of the following types of students:

• those undertaking full time courses of education
• those undertaking qualifying courses of education
• foreign language assistants
• student nurses
• apprentices
• youth training trainees

Any person satisfying the above criteria would be disqualified from the disregard, if under the terms of their leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom they are allowed to take paid employment and claim Government benefits. If a person is allowed to do only one of these things, then they will satisfy the criteria for the disregard.

Student nurses

You will not be counted if you are:

• a student nurse on a course leading to registration on any of Parts 1 to 6, 8, 10 or 11 of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979
• studying at either a college of nursing or midwifery or a college of health

Young persons in respect of whom child benefit is payable

The disregard will apply where a person has attained the age of 18, but entitlement to child benefit continues in respect of them, however this disregard needs to be considered in conjunction with school and college leavers

Youth training trainees

Must be:

• under 25 years old
• undertaking training through an approved scheme arranged under the Employment and Training Act 1973 funded by the Learning and Skills Council which constitutes a training scheme as defined in the Jobseekers Allowance Regulations 1996

The application process

Your application will be assessed and if it is successful we will apply the discount to your account and send you an amended bill. The start date of the discount with be determined on a case by case basis.