Households could be saving hundreds each year if they have a carer meeting certain criteria
During the 2024-2025 tax year, the typical council tax bill for a Band D property stood at £2,171 annually in England. This substantial expense can be reduced for people who are disabled, live alone or are otherwise deemed ‘disregarded’.
Unpaid carers may qualify under this final category, making their household eligible for a 25% or even 50% reduction. This could result in savings exceeding £1,000 each year for the typical Band D property in England.
Nevertheless, carers must satisfy certain conditions before they can claim this entitlement. More information can be found on Gov.uk.
Your earnings and savings won’t impact your eligibility for this reduction. Likewise, you don’t need to be receiving Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment to be eligible.
Carers must demonstrate that they reside with the people they support in order to make the household qualify for the reduction. Carers UK explains: “If you don’t live with the person you care for, it is worth exploring if they can get reductions on their bill as well.”
They must also satisfy some of the conditions for Carer’s Allowance, including delivering at least 35 hours of care weekly, and the person receiving care must be getting specific 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
Moreover, the people being cared for cannot be the carer’s spouse, partner or their child under 18 years old for them to qualify as a live-in carer for council tax purposes.
If you’re a live-in carer who meets these criteria, you’ll be exempt from council tax calculations. This means if you’re living with someone who is liable for council tax, your household could receive a 25% discount.
However, if everyone else in the home is also exempt, you could get a whopping 50% off your council tax bill. If you’re uncertain about your eligibility for a discount, it’s always best to get in touch with your local council.
Others that are disregarded for council tax purposes include people who are:
- under 18 years old
- on certain apprentice schemes
- 18 or 19 years old and in full-time education
- a full-time student at college or university
- under 25 years old and get funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency
- a student nurse
- a foreign language assistant registered with the British Council
- severely mentally impaired
- a diplomat