Carer's discount on Council Tax

If you are treated as a care-giver, you will not be taken into account when we work out the number of adults living in the property for Council Tax purposes.

If the number of adults that we do count is reduced to one, we can award a 25% discount on the Council Tax bill.

If all the adults in the property are not counted (as carers or for some other reason), we can award a 50% discount on the Council Tax charged.

For Council Tax purposes there are 2 types of carer and people falling into either group will be disregarded. The person who is responsible for paying the bill, even if they are not disabled, must apply for the reduction.

1. The unpaid carer or relative

1. Who is lives in the same dwelling as the person they are caring for and
2. Provides care for an average of at least 35 hours a week and
3. The person they are caring for is over 18 years old and is not their spouse or partner or, is a child under the age of 18 years and they are not the parent of this child.

The person who is cared for must receive one of the following benefits:

• Attendance Allowance
• the highest or middle rate of the Care Component of Disability Living Allowance
• the standard or enhanced rate of the Daily Living Component of Personal Independence Payment
• an Armed Forces Independence Payment under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011
• an increase in a Constant Attendance Allowance under the Industrial or War Pensions Scheme
• an increase in the rate of his disablement pension under section 104 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992

It is possible for more than one adult to be counted as caring for the same person, provided all the conditions set out above are met. For example, two parents could be caring for an adult son or daughter.

Apply for carer's (unpaid) discount on Council Tax Apply for carer's (unpaid) discount on Council Tax

2. The professional carer

Who is:

• engaged to provide care and support to a person on behalf of either a local authority, the Common Council of the City of London, the Council of the Isles of Scilly, the Crown or a charitable body.
• employed by a person to whom they are providing care and they were introduced by one of the above
• employed to provide care for at least 24 hours a week, and are paid no more than £44 per week
• resident in premises provided either by the relevant body (ie the charity) or by the person to whom they are providing care.

Professional carer's Council Tax application form [219KB]

You must continue to pay your current bill. If the Council Tax charge is reduced a new bill will be issued showing how much to pay. The disregard will be reviewed periodically. We may ask you to provide information or evidence that helps us to do this. Failing to supply this information could mean the reduction is cancelled.

Please remember: if circumstances relating to the disregard change you must report them to us immediately.