Doncaster Council

How you can pay less Council Tax

The amount of Council Tax you have to pay depends on: 

• the valuation band of your property; and 
  
• the number of adults (people aged 18 or over) living in your property. When we work out Council Tax we assume that two people, aged 18 or over, live in most properties. 
  

Single person's discount
If only one person, aged 18 or over, lives in your property, we can give you a single person's discount of 25% (one quarter).

Here are some examples:

• If you are a mother living with your son, who is aged 18 or over, we cannot give you a single person's discount. 
  
• If you are living with another person, aged 18 or over, and are unmarried, we cannot give you a single person's discount.
  
• If you are a mother living with your 14-year-old son, we can give you a single person's discount.                              

We may need to decide where someone's main home is. For example, if they work away from home or if they have more than one home.

Other discounts
Some people are 'disregarded' for Council Tax purposes. This means that we will not count them when we decide how many people, aged 18 or over, live in your property. 

We may be able to give you a Council Tax discount if someone in your house is: 

• a student, student nurse, apprentice or Youth Training Trainee;
  
• a non-British husband or wife or dependant of a student; 
  
• under 20 and still at school or has just left school;
  
• a person who still has Child Benefit paid for them;
  
• a person who is a foreign-language assistant;
  
• severely mentally impaired;
  
• a carer;
  
• in prison or held somewhere else by the authorities;
  
• living in a hospital;
  
• living in a care home; 
  
• a member of a religious community;
  
• a person who lives in a hostel for the homeless or a night shelter;
  
• a member (or dependant) of international headquarters and defence organisations;
  
• a member(or dependant) of a visiting force;or
  
• a person with diplomatic immunity or privileges.                              

We can reduce your bill by either 25% or 50%, depending on how many people, aged 18 or over, live in your property and how many of these people we 'count'.

If we count only one person, aged 18 or over, as living in your property, we can give you a discount of 25%.

If we count nobody as living in your property, we can give you a discount of 50%.

Here are some examples.

• If two people, aged 18 or over, live in your property and one is a student, we can  give you a discount of 25% because we do not count the student. 
  
• If two people, aged 18 or over, live in your property, and one is a student nurse and the other a Youth Training Trainee, we can give you a discount of 50% because we do not count either person. 
  
• If three people, aged 18 or over, live in your property, and only one is a student, we cannot  give you a discount because we count two people.                           

How to apply for a discount 
If you want to apply for a discount get in touch with us and ask for an application form. We will send you some more information about discounts and an application form to fill in and send back to us. Alternatively some of the discount forms are now available online for you to download and return to us. These can be found by using the related link titled 'Discount Forms' on the left hand side of the page. 

Reductions for people with disabilities
We may be able to reduce your Council Tax bill if a person with a disability lives in your property, and your property has one of the following.

• A room, which is not a :
  - bathroom;
  - kitchen; or
  - lavatory.
  
  The disabled person must be the main user of this room and  it must be essential for their needs.                         
  
• An extra bathroom or kitchen which is essential for the disabled person's needs. 
  
  
• Extra space inside the property so that a disabled person can use a wheelchair indoors. The disabled person must need to use the wheelchair indoors.     

If we give you a reduction, we will charge your Council Tax at one band lower than your actual valuation band. 

Up until 31st March 2000, if your property was in band A, you would not get a reduction. This is because your property was already in the lowest band. With effect from 1st April 2000 a reduction of 1/9 of the charge for Band D became available to properties in band A that qualify. If you think you may qualify and would like an application form please contact the Council Tax section, Revenues.

Exemptions
Some properties are 'exempt' from Council Tax. This means that you will not have to pay any Council Tax.

We may be able to give an exemption if any of the following apply.
You cannot live in the property because it needs major repairs or structural alterations.

• The property is having major repairs or structural alterations done.
  
• Major repairs or structural alterations have been finished on the property within the last six months. (From 1st April 2000 we will give this exemption for a maximum of 12 months as long as nobody lives there.)
  
• A charity owns the property and nobody lives there. (We will give this exemption for up to six months.)
  
• There is no furniture in the property and nobody lives there. (We will give this exemption for up to six months.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property because the person who usually lives there is in prison or held somewhere else by the authorities. (We will give this exemption for as long as the person is in prison or held somewhere else by the authorities or until someone else moves into the house.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property because the person who usually lives there is living in a residential care home, nursing home, hospital or hostel so that they can be cared for. (We will give this exemption for as long as the person is being cared for or until someone else moves into the house.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property and the person who paid the Council Tax has died and probate hasn't been granted. (We will give this exemption for up to six months after probate is granted as long as nobody lives in the property.) 
  
• Nobody can live in the property by law, because of the condition of the property or it is being bought by the authorities (compulsory purchase). (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody can live there.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property because it is being made ready for a minister of religion to live in to carry out his or her duties. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody lives there.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property because the person who usually lives there is living with, and being cared for by, another person. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody lives there.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property because the person who usually lives there is living with, and caring for, another person. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody lives there.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property and the last person who lived there is a student, or will be a student within six weeks of leaving. The student must own the property. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody lives there.) 
  
• Nobody is living in the property and the mortgage company have re-possessed it. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody lives there and the mortgage company still has possession.)
  
• The property is a students' hall of residence. (We will give this exemption for as long as it is a hall of residence.) 
  
• All the people who live in the property are:
  - students;
  - school or college leavers;
  - non-British husbands or wives or dependants of students; and
  
  the property is where they live during term time. (We will give this exemption for as long as the only people who live there are students.)
  
• The Secretary of State for Defence owns the property and keeps it for UK armed forces to live in. (We will give this exemption for as long as the Secretary of State for Defence owns the property and UK forces live there.)
  
• A person connected to a visiting force lives in the property. (We will give this exemption for as long as this person lives there.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property and the person who should pay the Council Tax is a trustee in bankruptcy. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody lives there and the trustees for the bankrupt person are responsible.)
  
• The"property" is a caravan pitch without a caravan on it, or a boat mooring without a boat moored to it. (We will give this exemption for as long as there is no caravan or boat there.)
  
• All the people who live in the property are under the age of 18. (We will give this exemption until someone who is 18, or older, lives there.)
  
• Nobody is living in the property but it is part of another property which is lived in. This applies to a property which cannot be let separately from the other property, for example, a 'granny flat' which is not lived in. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody lives there.)
  
• All the people who live in the property are severely mentally impaired and at least one of them pays Council Tax. (We will give this exemption for as long as nobody else lives there.)
  From the 1st April 1999 we will also give this exemption if a student,who is not severely mentally impaired,also lives in the property, or owns the property but doesn't live there.
  
• The property is the main home of a person with diplomatic privileges or immunity. (We will give this exemption for as long as this person lives in the property and they normally have to pay Council Tax.)
  
• The property is part of another property and a dependent relative lives in it for example, a 'granny flat' which is lived in by a elderly or disabled relative. (We will give this exemption for as long as the dependent relative lives there.)

How to apply for an exemption 
If you want to apply for an exemption the application forms are available on the Council Tax Discount Forms page which can be found on the left hand menu.

• How much is my Council Tax?