Council tax discounts

You can get a 25% discount on your council tax bill if you live on your own.

How to qualify

To qualify for the discount, you must be:

• aged 18 years or older
• the only adult living in your property

This discount only applies to the main property where you live. It will not apply to any second properties which you own.

If someone has moved out of your home

If you want to claim this discount because someone has moved out of your property, you will need to provide us with their new address, if you know it. This will help us check your claim.

You will not receive a discount if:

• the person is only intending to move out of your property for a short period of time
• the person has left but they plan to return to the property in the future. For example, if the person has gone to work abroad for a year, they would still be liable to pay council tax at their main property back in England

If you live with adults who are not counted (disregarded)

If you have other adults living with you, you could still receive a single person discount for yourself if they are disregarded

For the purposes of calculating the discount:

• if all the adults in your property are disregarded, there will be a 50% discount on your council tax bill
• if all but 1 of the adults in your property are disregarded, there will be a 25% discount on your council tax bill
• if there are 2 or more adults living in your property who are not disregarded, there will be no discount on your council tax bill

Applying for a single person’s discount from a past date

You can apply for your single person’s discount from a past date. This is also known as backdating.

In some cases, we may need some extra proof to check that you are entitled to the discount from the date which it would apply.

If you are applying for a discount more than 12 months before the date of your application, you should explain why you did not apply sooner.

Apply for single person discount

Report a change in circumstances and cancelling your single person's discount

Once you are awarded your discount, it will stay on your council tax account until your circumstances change.

If your circumstances change, meaning you are no longer entitled to a single person’s discount, you must report them to us immediately. For example, if the number of adults living in your property is now greater than 1, due to your child turning 18 years old.

Cancel a single person discount

Reviewing your single person’s discount

In some cases, we may choose to review whether you are still entitled to a single person’s discount. For example, if we notice any conflicting information on your account.

If you are unable to prove that you are still the only person living in your property, we may decide to remove the discount from your account.