Council Tax Discounts and Exemptions

Discounts are available as follows:

Full time students attending college or university, including student nurses and foreign language assistants or apprentices

To qualify you must be undertaking a full time or qualifying course at a recognised Educational Establishment.

This discount also applies to student nurses and foreign language assistants.

You will need to supply a copy of your student certificate when you apply for a discount or an exemption. To do this:

• Complete an online form: Council Tax - Students

School and college leavers under the age of 20

If a school leaver is under 20 and has left school/college after 30th April, they will be disregarded until 1st November of the same year, or until their 20^th birthday if it is earlier. To apply for a school leaver council tax reduction, you will need to supply a copy of your student certificate and:

• Complete an online form: Council Tax - Education

Discounts for people with disabilities

Your council tax bill may be reduced if you live in a property where changes have been made to help a resident child or adult who has a disability.

The council tax for the property will be charged at the rate of the band below it. For example, if the property is at Band C, then the council tax payable will be at a Band B rate. A reduction is also available for Band A properties.

See council tax bands and charges for band information.

You can apply for disabled band relief if the person with the disability lives in the property as their main home and the property meets at least one of these criteria:

• extra bathroom or kitchen for the use of the person with the disability
• a room is used for a special purpose, for example, dialysis
• extra space for wheelchair use

Our inspector will need to visit the property to make sure the criteria is met

To apply for a disabled reduction, you can:

• Complete an online form: Council Tax - Disabled Relief

People who are resident in a care or nursing home, including certain hostels and night shelters

To qualify for a discount, you must be receiving care or treatment in the home or hostel and your sole or main residence must be one of following:

• residential care home
• nursing home
• mental nursing home
• hostel in England or Wales

Please note - A full council tax bill is based on two adults living in a property. Discounts do not apply if at least two people over the age of 18 who live in the same property are counted for council tax purposes. If after discounting household members in care, there remains only one occupant at the property then a 25% council tax discount may be given.

Also note - You must continue to pay council tax in accordance with your latest bill until your discount has been granted. Failure to do so may result in recovery action which could incur costs.

To apply for a reduction, you can:

• Complete an online form Council Tax - Liable person in care home

The full council tax bill for a property assumes it is the main home of two adults. If it is the main home of only one adult, the bill is reduced by 25%.

Discounts are also available for:

• care workers working for low pay, usually for charities
• people caring for someone with a disability who is not a spouse, partner, or child under 18
• diplomats and members of visiting forces and certain international organisations
• members of religious communities
• people in prison (except those in prison for non-payment of council tax or a fine)
• where a separate annex is occupied either as part of the main dwelling or by relatives, although a 100% exemption still applies if those relatives are elderly or disabled (see exemptions section below).
• people with dementia and others who are severely mentally impaired*

*Households containing people with reduced mental capacity – who are severely mentally impaired, including people diagnosed with dementia may be entitled to a reduction in their council tax. To qualify, someone must be medically certified as having a condition that severely affects their intellectual and mental capacity that is permanent, and be entitled at least one of a number of qualifying benefits, inclusive of Attendance Allowance and PIP.

If you feel you are eligible for a discount, let us know by completing the form below:

Some properties are exempt from council tax, including those occupied only by either students, under 18 year olds, the severely mentally impaired or "granny annexes" occupied by elderly/disabled relatives.

In addition to the above, if your property is unoccupied it may be exempt from Council Tax if:

• owned by a charity (exempt for up to 6 months)
• left empty by someone who has gone into prison
• was previously occupied before being left empty by someone who has moved to receive personal care in a hospital or home or elsewhere
• was previously occupied before being left empty by someone who has moved in order to provide personal care to another person
• was previously occupied before being left empty by a student owner
• left empty by someone who has died (exempt for up to 6 months after probate/letters of administration granted)
• has been repossessed
• is the responsibility of a bankrupt's trustee
• occupation is forbidden by law
• waiting to be occupied by a minister of religion
• consists of an empty caravan pitch or boat mooring
• cannot be let separately because of planning controls

If you feel you are eligible for a discount, let us know by completing the form below:

Discounts and exemptions have been granted based on existing council tax records and will be shown on the front of your bill. If your property has not been treated as exempt but you think it should be, you should let us know.

If it is being treated as exempt but should not be, YOU MUST TELL US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE or a penalty of at least £70 may be imposed.