Discounts, exemptions and relief

There are numerous discounts, exemptions and other relief that may be claimed, depending on your household’s situation, to reduce your bill.

These are independent of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which you may qualify for depending on your income, savings and household circumstances.

Apply for a discount or exemption

Single person discount

The full Council Tax bill assumes that there are two or more adults i.e. people aged 18 or over, living in the property. The amount of Council Tax payable may be discounted depending upon the number of adults living in a property. If you are the only adult living in your property you may qualify for single person discount and your Council Tax bill may be reduced by 25%. We may need to decide where someone's main home is, for example, if they work away from home or if they have more than one home. 

Apply for a single person discount

Other discounts

We don't count certain people when we look at the number of people living in a property for Council Tax purposes. This can reduce the Council Tax payable by up to 50%. This applies mostly to students and the mentally impaired. 

Exemptions

Certain properties are exempt from Council Tax for a period of time whilst they are not occupied by anyone. This includes properties left empty by people in a hospital or nursing home or by a deceased person where probate is awaited. A full list of exemptions is available on the GOV.UK website.

Disabled Persons relief

Under certain circumstances a reduction may apply where a property has certain facilities (such as an extra room or bathroom, or space for a wheelchair used inside the dwelling) to meet the needs of a disabled person. 

If your circumstances have changed, meaning you are no longer entitled to a discount, exemption or relief, you need to report it within 21 days of the change occurring