How do I claim a council tax discount, exemption or reduction?

This is information about the categories that exist, not a statement of what you are entitled to — councils administer their own schemes and criteria differ between them, particularly for Council Tax Reduction. What is consistent is that these are applied for, not granted automatically, and that a great deal of money sits unclaimed because people assume otherwise.

Step by step

1. Start at your own council's website.Search for your council name plus 'council tax discount'. Rules and forms are council-specific, and a general article will not match your council's scheme.
2. Check the single person discount.If you are the only adult resident, a discount applies. It has to be claimed and it is not applied when a household shrinks unless you tell them.
3. Check who is disregarded rather than who is present.Certain people are not counted as adults for council tax — full-time students, some apprentices, certain carers, people with a severe mental impairment. A household of two where one is disregarded can qualify for the single person discount.
4. Check the disabled band reduction.Where a property has features needed by a disabled resident — an extra bathroom, a room used for their needs, space for wheelchair use indoors — the bill can be charged at a lower band.
5. Check whether the property is exempt.Categories exist for properties occupied only by students, unoccupied properties in defined circumstances, annexes, and properties left empty after a death. Each has its own conditions and time limits.
6. Apply for Council Tax Reduction if income is low.This is a means-tested scheme designed by each council. It is separate from the discounts above and you can qualify for both.
7. Gather the evidence before you apply.Student certificates, benefit award letters, a diagnosis or professional certification where the scheme requires one. Most delays are caused by missing evidence, not by decisions.
8. Ask explicitly for backdating.Where the circumstances existed earlier, awards can often be backdated. It is rarely offered unprompted, so ask, and say when the circumstances began.
9. Tell them promptly when circumstances change.A discount that continues after it should have ended becomes an overpayment you must repay, and councils do check.
10. Appeal in writing if refused.Write to the council first. If the decision stands, there is an appeal route to the Valuation Tribunal, which is free. Citizens Advice can help with the wording.

Tips

• The severe mental impairment disregard is one of the most under-claimed reliefs in the UK and can often be backdated substantially. It requires a doctor's certification and a qualifying benefit.
• Discounts and Council Tax Reduction are different things and you can be entitled to both. Ask about each explicitly.
• Apply even if you are unsure. A refused application costs nothing; an unclaimed one costs the full amount every year.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the council already knows — Councils do not automatically learn that a household has changed, that a resident became a student, or that someone moved out. Every discount is claimed.
• Not asking for backdating — Where the qualifying circumstances existed earlier, the award may be able to start earlier — but only if you say when the circumstances began.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask