A full council tax bill is based on at least 2 adults, aged 18 or over, living in a property together. There are several ways you can reduce your bill, because you live alone or the second adult qualifies for a reduction because of their circumstance.
Discounts and exemptions
- Single person discount
- Students and student nurses discount
- Apprentices and youth training schemes discount
- People in detention
- 18 and 19 year olds eligible for child benefit
- Patients in hospital or care homes
- People with a disability who have additional rooms or extra space
- People with a severe mental impairment
- Empty properties and properties undergoing major development
Applicants need to provide at least 35 hours of free care a week to somebody in their household who isn’t a spouse, partner or child under 18.
The person being cared for needs to be receiving one of a number of qualifying benefits:
- Attendance Allowance – any rate
- Constant Attendance Allowance – increased amount
- Disability Living Allowance – care component, middle or higher rate
- Disablement Pension – increased rate
- Armed Forces Independence Payment – any amount
- Personal Independence Payment – daily living component, standard or enhanced rate
Applicants must be providing care or support on behalf of a local authority or charitable body, or:
- employed by the person you care for and introduced to them through a local authority or charity
- employed for at least 24 hours per week
- receiving less than £44 per week
- live in premises provided by your employer to perform your duties. This does not mean you have to live with the person you are caring for
Properties which become unoccupied and substantially unfurnished will receive a 100 percent discount for the first six months.
This is a property based discount and the effective date starts when the property first became unoccupied and unfurnished, irrespective of any changes in ownership or tenants
Where a property has been left empty for more than 2 years it will be subject to a Council Tax Premium – meaning for these properties the liable person will pay an additional charge on top of their normal Council Tax.
Where the property has been left empty for more than 2 years the additional premium will be 100% of the normal charge, and where the property has been empty for more than 5 years this will be 200% of the normal charge. Where the property has been empty for more than 10 years a 300% premium will be added to the charge.
There is no discount in Fylde for furnished second homes.
You may be eligible for a major works exemption of 100% relief for a period of up to 12 months whilst the work is ongoing.
I work away – can I claim a discount?
Usually the answer to this question is no. A person will normally be regarded as having their main residence in the property even though they may work away for long periods.
When counting the number of adults in a property certain people are disregarded and not counted for discount purposes.
The following persons are not counted:
- Full time students
- Persons still in receipt of child benefit
- Prisoners
- Youth training trainees
- Persons who are severely mentally impaired (must be in receipt of one of the following qualifying benefits: ESA, AA, Higher or middle rate DLA, or severe disablement allowance)
- Carers. Someone who is caring for a person with a disability who is not their husband, wife, partner or a child under 18, or someone who is working for low pay, usually employed by a charity, to provide care
- School / College leavers aged 18 or 19 who have finished a course of education between 1st May and 30th October
- Patients in nursing and care homes
- Hospital Patients who are long term patients
- Student nurses
- Persons residing in Hostels
- Apprentices
- Members of Religious Communities e.g. Monks and Nuns
- Spouses of Students who are not British citizens and can’t take up employment or claim benefits
- Diplomats
- Members of international headquarters and defence organisations
The above is only a broad indication of the persons not counted. A number of conditions may need to be met before the disregard is satisfied. If you require further information please contact fylderevenues@blackpool.gov.uk
- An unoccupied property owned and previously used by a charity. The maximum exemption period is 6 months
- An unoccupied property which was the previous residence of someone now detained in custody
- An unoccupied property which was the previous residence of someone who has moved permanently into a residential home or hospital to receive care
- An unoccupied property which is waiting for probate or letters of administration to be granted. The maximum exemption is for 6 months after probate or letters of administration have been granted
- A property which is unoccupied because the law forbids occupation
- An unoccupied property reserved for a minister of religion
- An unoccupied property which was the previous residence of someone who has permanently moved into another property (not a residential home or hospital) to receive personal care
- An unoccupied property which was the previous residence of someone who has permanently moved away to provide personal care to another person
- An unoccupied property which was the previous residence of someone who is now a full time qualifying student and who now lives elsewhere
- An unoccupied property where the mortgage lender is in possession
- Student halls of residence
- A property occupied only by full time qualifying students
- An armed forces barracks
- Accommodation for visiting forces and dependents
- An unoccupied property which is controlled by the trustee in bankruptcy following insolvency proceedings
- A vacant caravan pitch or boat mooring
- A property occupied only by people aged under 18 years
- An unoccupied annex which may not be let separately without a breach of planning control
- An occupied property where all of the residents are deemed to be severely mentally impaired, as confirmed by a registered medical practitioner
- A property occupied by a foreign diplomat
- An annex occupied by a dependent elderly or disabled relative
The above classes are only a broad summary of the legislation. Within each class there may be a number of conditions which have to be met before the exemption is satisfied.
