Up to five million people in England and Wales may be eligible
Council tax is now at around £2,392 a year for the average Band D property in England. But many households could be eligible to cut this bill by 25% or more, potentially saving hundreds or even over a thousand pounds without having to change their living situation at all.
In England, Wales or Scotland, unpaid carers may not realise they can reduce their council tax bill simply because of their caring duties. However, a recent MSE investigation found multiple council websites had incorrect qualifying criteria which may have deterred eligible carers from getting this support.
The historic error is believed to be due to a 2013 rule change, which some councils failed to update the information on their own websites. It potentially affected up to five million carers in England and Wales, according to MSE.
Carers can qualify for the discount if they live with the person they care for and provide at least 35 hours of care per week. The person being cared for must also claim certain disability benefits.
According to Turn2Us, these benefits include:
- PIP
- Adult Disability payment
- Disability Living Allowance
- Scottish Adult DLA
- Child Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
Additionally, the person being cared for cannot be the carer’s spouse, partner or their child under the age of 18 in order for them to count as a live-in carer for council tax purposes.
The carer’s income and savings will not affect your eligibility for this discount. They also don’t need to be claiming Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment to qualify.
If you meet these criteria, you will be considered ‘disregarded’ or not counted for council tax purposes. If you’re unsure whether you are eligible for a discount, it’s best to contact your local council.
If everyone in a property is ‘disregarded’, the council tax bill will be reduced by 50%. If only one person living in the property is not disregarded, a 25% discount will then apply to the council tax bill, as Carers UK notes.
Other people that are disregarded for council tax purposes include those:
- under 18 years old
- on certain apprentice schemes
- who are 18 or 19 years old and in full-time education
- who are a full-time student at college or university
- under 25 years old and get funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency
- who are a student nurse
- who are a foreign language assistant registered with the British Council
- who are severely mentally impaired
- who are a diplomat
