Individual Status Disregards
Some people aged over 18 can be ignored when counting the number of adults living in a property. If someone living with you falls into one of the following categories then they will not be counted for Council Tax purposes and you can claim the 25% discount on your bill.
Important – A 25% discount cannot be awarded if, after ignoring all discounted people, two adults remain as living in the property.
1. 18/19 year olds
We will not count young persons who are 18 or 19 years old and are in full time education (other than higher education). This includes people who are at school or college and are on courses up to and including A-level standard.
You will also not be counted if you have a young person aged at least 18 and you are getting Child Benefit for them or would be, if they were not in care.
If you have a young person aged 18 or 19 years old who has left school after the 30 April, we will not count them until the 1 November of the same year. (You may continue to get a discount for them as a student if they go on to Further or Higher education)
2. Persons in Detention
Where someone is detained under remand or custodial powers, they will be discounted for Council Tax purposes. The person must be detained in a prison, hospital or other place by the order of a court, or under an Immigration or Mental Health Act.
People detained for non-payment of Council Tax will not be discounted.
3. Hospital Patients
People who remain permanently in a hospital (NHS hospital or Armed Forces medical centres) as their main home will not be counted for Council Tax purposes. If you are in hospital for a short time and have a home elsewhere you will continue to be responsible for the council tax for your home.
4. Nursing Home or Care Home Patients
People who live permanently in a Residential Care Home, Nursing Home, Mental Care Nursing Home or a High Care Hostel as their main or only home will not be counted.
5. People staying in certain Hostels or Night Shelters
A person whose main or only home is a place such as a short stay hostel or night shelter providing communal accommodation for people who have no fixed abode and no settled way of life is not counted. These may include hostels run by the Salvation Army or Church Army.
6. Youth Trainees
This relates to persons who are:
7. Apprenticeship
This relates to a person who is:
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Employed to learn a trade, business or profession and is undertaking a training course which leads to a qualification recognised by the National Council for Vocational Qualifications and
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Receiving a salary and/or allowance, which is no more than £195 per week and which is substantially less than the salary he/she would receive if qualified.
8. School or College Leavers
This is a person who:
The discount will only apply until the November 1st of that year.
9. Students
A student is someone undertaking a full time course at a prescribed educational establishment
A full time course is one which:
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Lasts for at least one academic or calendar year
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Requires attendance at an educational establishment for at least 24 weeks in that year
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And that person’s study/tuition/work experience amounts to at least 21 hours per week.
A student is a person who is:
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A foreign language assistant, or
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Undertaking a full time course of education, or
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Undertaking a qualifying course and is under 20 years old.
A student will sometimes be asked to provide a certificate issued by their educational establishment.
10. Student Nurses
You will not be counted if you are a student nurse on a course leading to registration on any of Parts 1 to 6 or 8 of the Nursing Register. Only students studying for their first inclusion on the Register are not counted. Nurses who are already on the Register but are taking further courses are counted. Student nurses studying academic courses at universities or who are on Project 2000 courses are excluded from this definition as they are considered as students as defined above.
11. Care Workers and Carers
A Care Worker is a person who:
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Gives care to another person on behalf of a charity or Local Authority and
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Must work for at least 24 hours per week and be paid not more than £44 per week for this work
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Is living in premises provided by the employer for the better performance of his or her job.
A Carer is a person who:
a). Provides care to a person who is entitled to one of the following benefits:
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A higher rate of Attendance Allowance.
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The highest rate of care component of Disability Living Allowance.
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An increase in the rate of Disablement pension.
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An increase in constant Attendance Allowance, and
b). Is living in the same property as the person for whom he or she is caring.
c). Must provide care for at least 35 hours per week, and
d). The person who receives care must not be a child under the age of 18 years old or a partner.
12. Severely Mentally Impaired
For Council Tax purposes a person will be regarded as severely mentally impaired if he or she suffers, for whatever reason, from severe mental impairment of intelligence or social functioning which appears to be permanent eg Alzheimer’s or other similar illnesses.
To determine if a person may meet this criteria we refer to the following as general guidance:-
Severe impairment of intelligence - is usually to mean an IQ of 50 or less.
Severe impairment of social functioning - will probably be taken to mean that the person has severe learning difficulties and cannot learn more than the basic self care skills such as dressing, eating, using the toilet, washing etc.
The person must be certified by a doctor as being severely mentally impaired and must be entitled to at least one of the following benefits:
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Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate.
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Attendance Allowance.
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Severe Disablement Allowance.
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The care component of a Disability Living Allowance.
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An increase in Disablement Allowance where constant attendance is needed.
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Disability Working Allowance.
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An Unemployability supplement or allowance.
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Constant Attendance Allowance.
13. Monks and Nuns
You will not be counted if you are a member of a religious community, provided that you depend on the community for your material needs and have no personal income or savings. (This will still apply if you receive income from a pension or pensions from a former job.)
Only members of religious communities whose main work is prayer, contemplation, the relief of suffering, education or any combination of these areas will not be counted.
14. Diplomats, Members of Visiting Forces, International Headquarter and Defence Organisations
You will not be counted if you are a Diplomat, member of a visiting Armed Force, or a member (or dependant of a member) of certain International Headquarters and Defence Organisations.
If you think someone in your household meets any of the disregard conditions contact us using the Contact Council Tax link in the Related Information box or by calling our office on (01480) 388030 and we will send you the relevant form to claim. Please state which disregard you wish to claim.
You can also apply online by using the Apply for a Council Tax Discount link in the Related Information box on the right on this page.