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Tuesday, 2 October 2023

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Caring for someone

Council Tax reduction for carers

Your local council collects Council Tax to pay for services like policing, parks and street lighting. You may be entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax if you are caring for a disabled person.

If you and the person you are caring for live in the same property

You may be entitled to a Council Tax reduction if you are a carer and you:

live in the same property as the person you are caring for
provide at least 35 hours a week of care

Also, the person you care for must have one of the following:

higher rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance
higher rate of Attendance Allowance
an increased Disablement Pension
an increased Constant Attendance Allowance

The person you are caring for can't be your spouse, partner or child under 18 years old.

If you leave your own property to care for someone

If you move to live with the person you are caring for you may be exempt from paying Council Tax. Write to your council and tell them:

the date you left your house and that it is unoccupied
that you are caring for someone
your new address (provide some proof, like a bill) and the name of the person you are caring for
the level and type of care you are providing
whether you intend to return

The council may also send you a form to fill in.

How to calculate Council Tax reductions

Write a list of all the people living in your property.

Then cross off:

children, including those over 18 but in full-time education
anyone who is severely mentally impaired - for example, someone with a permanent illness that affects intelligence or social functioning
anyone who is providing care for 35 hours a week or more (this person is considered to be the carer)

For example:

wife, full-time employed, no disabilities
son, aged 12, no disabilities
mother-in-law, dementia
me, carer for mother-in-law

Once you have crossed off:

your son (under 18 years old)
your mother-in-law (dementia)
yourself (as the carer)

this leaves your wife as the only person in your property who has not been crossed off the list. This means, as there is only one person left on the list, you may get a 25 per cent reduction.

If you were left with no-one on your list, for example the only people living in the property are:

you (as the carer)
your mother-in-law (who has dementia)

you may get a 50 per cent reduction.

The above details are only a guide and specific conditions may need to be satisfied for the reduction to apply. For more information or a Council Tax reduction form, contact your local council.