Your Rights

Council Tax – help with your bill

Summary: About the different ways you could qualify for a reduction to your Council Tax bill.

• Disability Reduction Scheme
• Council Tax Benefit
• Sole Occupancy Discount
• Further information

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Your council tax bill can be reduced under three different schemes:

1. Disability Reduction Scheme

2. Council Tax Benefit

3. Sole Occupancy Discount

You can get help through all three at the same time.

There is no help specifically for blind or partially sighted people.

Disability Reduction Scheme

You can get the disability reduction on your council tax bill if you, or anyone else living in your home, is "substantially and permanently disabled" and needs extra space or has adaptations in your home because of this.

Your home must contain either:

• a room other than a bathroom, kitchen or lavatory used predominantly to meet the needs of a disabled person

or

• an additional kitchen or bathroom for the use of a disabled person

or

• extra space inside the property so that a wheelchair can be used.

In addition, the local council must be satisfied that the room or adaptation is essential, or of major importance, to the disabled person's well-being because of the nature and extent of his / her disability.

For example, you may need an extra room to store bulky equipment such as a CCTV, braille equipment or an exercise bicycle. Or you may have an extra bathroom on the ground floor of your house because of mobility problems.

If you qualify for a disability reduction, your bill will be reduced to the band below the valuation band of your home, eg if your house is in Band D, the bill can be reduced to that for a house in Band C.

If your home is in Band A, you will be given a reduction of one sixth of your bill.

There is no automatic entitlement to the reduction.

You should claim a reduction if you think you are entitled - contact your council's Council Tax section to make a claim.

If your claim for a reduction is refused, you can appeal to an independent valuation tribunal - visit the Valuation Tribunal Service website or contact RNIB's Welfare Rights Service for advice.

Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit is a means-tested benefit that you can claim from your local council.

You must usually have no more than £16,000 savings and your income must be fairly low. If you live with a partner of the opposite sex, her / his savings and income are taken into account. However there is no savings / capital limit if you get the guarantee part of Pension Credit.

If you are registered blind, or receiving Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance, this can sometimes make it easier to qualify for Council Tax Benefit, or may increase your benefit. If you have recently lost your sight, or you are now getting a disability benefit, you may now be able to get Council Tax Benefit, even if your income was too high before. Remember, you must still have less than £16,000 in savings, unless you get guarantee Pension Credit.

If you are on Income Support, or the guarantee part of Pension Credit, you may receive benefit that covers the full bill. However the amount of benefit awarded is normally reduced if you have a "non-dependant" living with you. A non-dependant is an adult who lives in your home but is not your partner and is not a joint owner or tenant (eg a grown-up son or daughter).

This is called the 'non-dependant deduction'. It does not apply if the claimant is registered blind, or receiving either Attendance Allowance, or the care component of Disability Living Allowance.

If you do not receive Income Support or the guarantee part of Pension Credit, but are on a low income, you may still get some assistance with your bill by claiming Council Tax Benefit directly from your council.

Important: The Government is proposing limiting the backdating of Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit and Pension Credit from October 2008, to just 3 months (currently 12 months). You should therefore make a claim for these benefits immediately, if you think that you are entitled. Please seek advice, if you want to check your entitlement. Contact your local council's benefits section to claim Council Tax Benefit and / or Housing Benefit, and The Pension Service, on 0800 99 1234, to claim Pension Credit.

If you are liable to pay Council Tax, and your income is too high to get Council Tax Benefit, you may still be able to reduce your bill under the Second Adult Rebate scheme. If you live with a non-dependant who receives Income Support, or Pension Credit, or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or who is on a low income, your bill could be reduced by up to 25 per cent. You should seek further advice from your local council.

Sole Occupancy Discount

If you live on your own, you are automatically entitled to a single person's discount of 25 per cent on your Council Tax bill. The reduction also applies if the person you live with is exempt from paying Council Tax. Exempted groups include some types of carers (the carer must not be your partner), anyone under 18, and full-time students.

If you think you should receive a single person's discount, and have not been awarded one, contact your local council to make a claim.

Further information

For further information about Council Tax or about welfare benefits available people with serious sight problems contact:

RNIB Welfare Rights Service
105 Judd Street
London
WC1H 9NE
Telephone: 0845 766 9999 / 020 7388 2525
Email: brit@rnib.org.uk

Please note that we can only give advice about benefits for people with sight loss and their carers or dependants.

If you use a language other than English, please let us know which language. We will try to arrange a telephone interpreting service.

This information gives general guidance only and is not an authoritative statement of the law.

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Content author: brit@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 07/05/2008 16:30