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Council Tax discounts

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4. Who isn't counted?

A full Council Tax charge is based on two or more adults (over 18 years) living in a household - if there's fewer than two, the household can get a discount.

For Council Tax purposes, certain types of people are not counted towards the number of adults in a household (they are disregarded) and the bill is worked out as if they weren't living there. This means that the Council Tax bill could be reduced by a discount of 25 per cent or, in certain circumstances, by 50 per cent.

You can find out more about who is disregarded and how to apply for a discount from the list below.

Apprentices

A person who is an apprentice regardless of age is disregarded for the purpose of discount provided that he or she is employed for the purpose of learning a trade or profession and is undertaking training programme leading to a qualification. They should be receiving a salary of no more than £195 per week and the salary paid is substantially less than is likely to be received if the qualification is achieved.

A completed application form is required together with evidence of salary paid

Carers

You will not be counted if you live with, and care for, a person with a disability who is receiving one of certain allowances or disablement pensions. You must be providing care for at least 35 hours a week on average.  However, you will be counted if you are caring for your husband or wife (or partner with whom you live as husband or wife), or your child under 18 years old.

Care workers

Someone who cares for an elderly person or a person with a disability in return for payment of up to £36 a week will not be counted. Such a person will usually belong to an organisation like Community Service Volunteers, but could be employed by a public body or (in certain circumstances) by the person for whom they care.

Diplomats

Diplomats and members of international organisations headquartered in the UK and their non-British spouses will be disregarded. We will require official evidence of this status in order to consider this category of disregard.

Members of religious communities

You will not be counted if you are a member of a religious community eg monks and nuns, 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 or pensions 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 are not counted. A completed form is required in order to claim this category of disregard discount.

People aged 18 if Child Benefit is payable

You will be disregarded 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.

People in prison

Prisoners who are on remand or in prison are disregarded. However, people who are imprisoned for not paying a fine or Council Tax are counted. We will obtain verification from the prison of the date of detention and the expected date of release. The dwelling must have been their main home before they went to prison. You may be assured that the confidentiality of this information will be respected and it will be used only for the purposes of assessing Council Tax discount/exemption

People in residential care homes

You will be disregarded if you live, and are receiving care, in one of these places as your only or main home. This means that the care home will receive a discount because all the residents can be disregarded.

School and college leavers under 20

You will be disregarded if you are 18 or 19 years old and in full-time education (other than higher education). This includes people of that age who are at school or college and are on courses 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 to get a discount as a student if you go on to further or higher education.)

Youth training trainees

This disregarded category is available when one of the occupiers of a property is on a Training Credit Scheme. In order to qualify, the number of occupiers of the property should be taken into account, as with other disregard categories ie take the total number of occupiers of the property and deduct any persons who are disregarded and the remaining number should be less than 2. A completed form is required together with a copy of the training plan. The applicant should also be under 25 years of age.