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Council tax disability reduction scheme

If you are liable to pay council tax you can get a reduction on your bill if you or someone in the home is substantially and permanently disabled and one of the following applies:

• he or she has a room which is used to meet their special needs e.g. for the purposes of dialysis, treatment or for the storage of equipment.
• he or she has a second bathroom or kitchen used to meet their special needs
• he or she needs to use a wheelchair to get around the house.

If any of these apply, the bill for that property is reduced to the next lowest band. If you are already in a Band A property, and get a disability reduction, you will have your bill reduced by one sixth.

Disability reductions are available in all types of dwellings, including care homes and hostels.

In Scotland, the council water charge can also be reduced under this scheme.

There is no time limit for backdating this reduction.

There have been a number of recent court decisions affecting the disability reduction scheme. You can view summaries of these and the full decisions on our case law page.

More information

• main council tax page
• case law page

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