Council tax discounts for carers

Council tax By Council Tax Helpline, 10 September 2026

In short

• A carer who gives at least 35 hours of care a week to someone they live with may be disregarded for council tax.
• The person being cared for must get a qualifying benefit, and the carer cannot be their partner, or the parent of a child under 18 they care for.
• Being disregarded can bring the single person discount, or more.
• Carer's Allowance counts as income for Council Tax Reduction, but you may still qualify.
• The person you care for may be entitled to their own discount or reduction.

The carer disregard

For council tax, some people are disregarded, meaning they are not counted when the council works out how many adults live in a home. Carers can be one of them.

In England, you are disregarded as a carer if:

• You give at least 35 hours of care a week to someone you live with
• The person you care for gets a qualifying benefit, such as the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment, the middle or higher care rate of Disability Living Allowance, or Attendance Allowance
• You are not their husband, wife or partner, or the parent of a child under 18 you are caring for

What it means for your bill

Because you are not counted, the household may get a discount:

• If you and the person you care for are the only adults, and they are also disregarded, for example because of severe mental impairment, the home may get 50% off
• If only one adult then counts, the household gets the 25% single person discount

Example. You live with your mother and care for her full-time. She gets Attendance Allowance. You are disregarded, so only she counts, and the household gets 25% off.

Council Tax Reduction and Carer’s Allowance

Carer’s Allowance counts as income for Council Tax Reduction. But many carers are on low incomes and still qualify for some reduction. See Council Tax Reduction.

Help for the person you care for

The person you care for may be entitled to help in their own right:

• The disabled band reduction, if the home has been adapted or has extra space for them
• The severe mental impairment disregard, for example for dementia. See council tax and dementia

Quick check

Could you be paying too much?

Tick anything that applies to your home.

• Only one adult lives in the home

  Single person discount: 25% off. How it works

• Someone is a full-time student, an apprentice, or under 18

  They are not counted. That can mean 25% off, or no bill at all if everyone is a student. How it works

• Someone has dementia, a severe learning disability or a similar condition, and gets a disability benefit

  Severe mental impairment: 25% off, 50% off, or no bill at all. It can be backdated for years. How it works

• Someone gives 35 hours or more of care a week to a person they live with

  The carer may not be counted, which can bring a discount. How it works

• A disabled person lives here and needs an extra room, a second bathroom or kitchen, or uses a wheelchair indoors

  Disabled band reduction: charged at one band lower. Not means-tested. How it works

• Your income is low, or you get Universal Credit, Pension Credit or another benefit

  Council Tax Reduction can cut the bill, and on Pension Credit it often covers all of it. How it works

• The home is empty because the person who lived there died, moved into care, or is in prison

  The home may be exempt: no council tax at all. How it works

• Someone aged 18 to 24 has left local authority care

  Care leavers are exempt in Wales and Scotland, and most councils in England exempt them too. How it works

Not sure what you are entitled to? We can check for you.

Ask us to check, free

How to apply

Ask your council for the carer disregard, usually on a form. You will need details of the care you give and the benefit the person gets. Ask for it to be backdated to when you started caring, if you missed it.