Council Tax discounts: who pays less and who is not counted at all

Council Tax is worked out as if at least two adults live in the home. So people with fewer "counted" adults are due a discount. The key rule: you must ask your local council for the discount yourself — it is usually not applied automatically.

The 25% and 50% discounts

If you are the only adult in the home you pay 25% less (the well-known single person discount). The same 25% applies if every other adult in the home is "disregarded." And if everyone living there is disregarded, the discount is 50%.

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Who is "disregarded"?

The disregarded include: under-18s; 18 to 19-year-olds in full-time education; college and university students; student nurses; under-25s funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency; apprentices (on pay of no more than £195 a week with an accredited qualification); British Council foreign language assistants; people who are severely mentally impaired; live-in carers looking after someone who is not their spouse or a child under 18; and diplomats.

Disability and SMI

If someone in the home has a severe mental impairment, they can be left out of the count entirely — this needs a doctor's confirmation and entitlement to certain benefits. There is also a separate Disabled Band Reduction scheme for homes adapted for a disabled person's needs. These are often missed, yet they give real savings.

How to apply, and what to remember

You apply to your local council (usually online on its website). Even if you clearly fall into a disregarded group, you still have to ask. If you are given a discount by mistake, tell the council — otherwise you could be fined. People on a low income can use the separate Council Tax Reduction scheme. Always check the current categories and thresholds on GOV.UK and with your council.