There are ways you may be entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax. There are a variety of different types of discounts and reductions available.
There are certain people that can also be disregarded when calculating Council Tax.
There are ways you may be entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax. There are a variety of different types of discounts and reductions available.
There are certain people that can also be disregarded when calculating Council Tax.
If you are the only adult (aged 18 or over) living in the property, your bill can be reduced by 25%.
You can apply for a single person discount, by completing the form below. You will need:
If you have claimed benefit, and it is clear from your claim that you are the only adult at the property, a discount can be awarded.
Apply for a Single Person Discount
The discount will continue for as long as you occupy the property as the single adult.
The following types of changes may affect your discount and you should let us know if:
We need this information to enable us to fulfil our duty to keep the authority's records up to date.
If you have any change of circumstances and you are unsure whether they will affect your entitlement please contact the Revenues Team.
In some cases we can backdate your claim. We may ask you to provide evidence and your reasons for requesting a backdate.
You can check online and view your revised bill, which shows that we have applied the single person discount.
If you wish to appeal a decision that has been made regarding this discount please complete our appeal form and this will then be assessed by the Exchequer Manager.
No - your home is still treated as your partner's sole and main residence because there is an intention to return to the property as part of the family unit.
This will depend on where she will be living. If she will be living in halls of residence or other accommodation then you can claim the single person discount. If she will continue to live with you then you cannot claim a single person discount - however you may be entitled to seek a reduction under the full time student status disregard.
No - they will not be considered as part of your household as they have a main residence elsewhere.
If you have made alterations to your property or have a room set aside to meet the needs of the disabled resident, you may qualify for a disabled relief reduction on your property.
In order to qualify for this reduction you must meet one of the following requirements:
Where the legislation refers to "anything required for meeting the needs of the qualifying individual" it must be essential or of major importance to his/her wellbeing by reason of the extent and nature of his/her disability.
A wheelchair is not regarded as being required for meeting the needs of a qualifying individual if it is not used within the dwelling.
The reduction will be the equivalent to a re-banding of the dwelling into the band immediately below that shown in the valuation list - this is deemed the alternate band.
No actual alteration to the valuation list will be made.
Complete the online disabled relief form and a local tax inspector will contact you to arrange a convenient time for a visit.
If you wish to appeal a decision that has been made regarding this discount please complete our appeal form and this will then be assessed by the Exchequer Manager.
If you are a care leaver aged under 25 who is paying Council Tax or living with someone who pays Council Tax, we may be able to reduce the amount you pay.
To qualify for a reduction you must:
Please note the reduction will only be awarded if the claimant is not entitled to any other discounts/exemptions including Council Tax Support (CTS). Please take a look at our benefit advice page for more information.
Care leavers who are solely responsible to pay council tax will, from the ages of 18 to 21, receive 100% discount. From the ages of 22 to 25 the level of discount will be reduced by 25% each year until their 25th birthday, when they will receive no care leavers discount.
Care leavers between the ages of 18-25 who are living with one other person over the age of 18 (who is not a care leaver) will have the Council Tax bill for the property reduced by 50%.
Care leavers between the ages of 18-25 who reside in a property with more than 2 adults who are not care leavers will have the Council Tax bill for the property reduced by 25%.
To find out if you qualify please complete an application form
If you qualify for a discount it will be automatically paid to the relevant Council Tax account.
If you have any questions, contact us or speak to your Young Person’s Adviser (YPA).
Under certain exceptional circumstances we can use our discretion (under Section 13a of the Local Government Finance Act 1992) to reduce the amount of Council Tax you pay. We consider each case on an individual basis.
Anyone applying will have to show they have exhausted all other options for meeting their Council Tax liability and that their current circumstances are unlikely to improve.
Applicants will also have to show they do not have the ability to pay, for example they have no savings/assets, do not own property, are unemployed and no other source of money is available.
How do I apply?
To apply for council tax discretionary reduction, please email us and provide the following information:
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 categories below, 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.
Full Time Students
A student is someone undertaking a full time course at a prescribed educational establishment.
A full time course is one which:
To qualify for this discount you must provide a student certificate for council tax purposes which can be obtained from the college or university.
You can apply by emailing localtax@basingstoke.gov.uk and attaching the student certificate.
Are all occupants who are 18 or over full time students? Go to the full student exemption page.
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.
To qualify for this discount you must provide a student certificate for council tax purposes which can be obtained from the college or university.
You can apply by emailing localtax@basingstoke.gov.uk and attaching the student certificate.
Apprenticeship
The apprentice must:
The employer will be required to confirm details regarding the apprenticeship.
You can apply by completing an apprentice discount form and emailing the completed form to localtax@basingstoke.gov.uk or posting it to the council offices.
Youth trainees
This relates to persons who are:
You can apply by emailing localtax@basingstoke.gov.uk
School or college leavers
Are you or an occupant in your property under 20 and have recently completed a course or are in between courses? You might qualify for a discount
This is a person who:
The discount will only apply until the 1 November of that year.
You can apply by completing our online form and attaching the student certificate (School Leavers form).
18 or 19 year old where child benefit is awarded
Are you the parent or guardian of am 18 or 19 year old and are in receipt of child benefit for them? You may qualify for a 25% discount on your council tax charge.
Please be aware that this discount will only last for as long as child benefit remains in payment, and it is up to the account holder to inform us of any changes. Alternatively, if the 18 or 19 year old is also a full time student or an apprentice you can apply for the student or apprentice disregard which also gives a 25% discount.
You can apply by completing our online form and attaching the proof of child benefit.
An occupant can be disregarded for council tax purposes if they are classed as having a severe mental impairment, for example dementia.
The person must be certified by a doctor as being severely mentally impaired and must be in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits listed below. As part of the application, a declaration must be completed by that the person's doctor (this can be their specialist or general practitioner).
The discount will remain in place as long as the conditions are met.
Qualifying Benefits
Before completing the online form the form below must be printed and given to the applicant’s doctor to complete. This can then be uploaded to our discount form.
Application for a Severe Mental Impairment Discount or Exemption
Are all occupants who are 18 or over severely mentally impaired? Go to the full exemption page.
People who live permanently in a nursing home, care home, residential care home, mental care home, high care hostel or hospital as their main or only home can be disregarded for council tax purposes.
You can apply by completing this form.
Are all occupants who are 18 or over now living in one of the establishments types named above? Go to the full exemption page.
Annexes which are occupied by relatives under 65 or occupied by the occupier of the main property - 50% discount
Annexes which form part of a single property which include at least one other dwelling, and which is the sole or main residence of a relative who is under 65 or is occupied by the occupier of the main property:
Definition of a relative
For the purposes of this exemption a relative is defined as:
How to apply
Complete the online form.
How to appeal a decision
If you wish to appeal a decision that has been made regarding this discount, please complete our appeal form and this will then be assessed by the Exchequer Manager.
Where someone is detained on remand or under custodial powers, they can be discounted for council tax purposes. The property where the discount would be applied must have been the sole and main residence of the detained person.
People in detention are those held in prison, hospital or elsewhere by order of a court. This includes those detained under:
This does not apply to those serving sentences for non-payment of council tax or fines.
You can apply online.
Are all occupants who are aged 18 and over currently detained? Go to the full exemption page.
A care worker is a person who:
A carer is a person who:
You can apply for a discount by completing our online form.
How to appeal a decision
If you wish to appeal a decision that has been made regarding this discount, please complete our appeal form and this will then be assessed by the Exchequer Manager.
A person who is a resident of a hostel which is:
This discount will be applied to a hostel, and can attract a 50% discount. If you run a hostel and believe it would qualify for this discount please email localtax@basingstoke.gov.uk
Any member of a religious order primarily set up for:
Can be disregarded provided that the member is dependent on the order for all needs and has no income or capital of their own (pensions from former employers are disregarded).
To apply we will require written confirmation from the religious order, this can be emailed to localtax@basingstoke.gov.uk
Diplomats
A person who has privileges and immunities under any one of the below:
This person cannot:
You can apply by completing our online form.
How to appeal a decision
If you wish to appeal a decision that has been made regarding this discount, please complete our appeal form and this will then be assessed by the Exchequer Manager.
Visiting Armed Forces
You can apply by completing our online form.
How to appeal a decision
If you wish to appeal a decision that has been made regarding this discount, please complete our appeal form and this will then be assessed by the Exchequer Manager.
Revenues Team
If you have an enquiry about council tax, send a message to the Revenues Team.
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