Benefits advice for carers

  1. Overview
  2. Carer's Allowance
  3. Universal Credit carer element
  4. Carer's Credit
  1. Council Tax
  2. Become an appointee
  3. Information and support

5. Council Tax

If you are a carer you may qualify for Council Tax discounts, exemptions or reductions.

Single person discount

You may be entitled to a 25% discount on your bill if:

  • You are the only adult who lives in the property
  • You live with certain others who are disregarded for Council Tax purposes such as full-time students, carers, people who have a severe mental impairment, long-term hospital patients or care home residents.

Carer's discount

Sometimes called carer's disregard or disregarded person discount, carers who meet the criteria below are disregarded for Council Tax purposes.

To be eligible you must:

  • provide care for at least 35 hours per week
  • live in the same property as the person you care for
  • not be the partner of the person you care for, or their parent if you care for a child under 18
  • provide care for a person who gets one of the following benefits:
    • either the middle/higher rate of the Disability Living Allowance care component
    • the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment/Armed Force Independence Payment
    • Attendance Allowance
    • the highest rate of constant Attendance Allowance

You do not have to be entitled to Carer's Allowance and income and savings will not affect your eligibility. If there is more than once carer in the property, they can all be disregarded as long as they all meet the above criteria. 

Severely mentally impaired people

If you live with a person who meets both the criteria below they will be disregarded for Council Tax purposes:

  • They have a certificate from their GP confirming the condition. Most councils have an application form to be completed by the GP
  • They are entitled to the middle/higher rate of the Disability Living Allowance care component, the daily living component of Personal Independence Payments/ Armed Force Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance or the highest rate of constant Attendance Allowance

Council Tax exemption

Your home may be exempt from Council Tax if:

  • You have left the property empty and it is no longer your main residence because you are providing care to someone
  • All residents are severely mentally impaired
  • The property has been left empty by someone who is staying in hospital or a care home on a long-term basis where personal care is provided

Disability Reduction Scheme

If anyone living in your property is regarded as 'substantially and permanently disabled' you could get a reduction in your Council Tax if there is:

  • an additional bathroom or kitchen in the property needed for the disabled person
  • a room (other than a bathroom, kitchen or toilet) needed and mainly used by the disabled person
  • enough space in the property for the disabled person to use a wheelchair indoors (for example widened door frames)

The reduction would mean that your Council Tax bill would be reduced to the band below your current charge. If your property is in the lowest band already you would get a reduction of one sixth of the bill.

Council Tax Support

Each council is responsible for their own Council Tax Support scheme and eligibility criteria vary from council to council for residents under state pension age. Most councils base eligibility on your income and capital (means-tested).

To find out more about your local scheme you should contact the local council which you pay your Council Tax to.

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Benefits and financial help