Changes to Council Tax Reduction
Overview
If you have to pay Council Tax and you are on a low income, you could get Council Tax Reduction.
The rules depend on whether you are of working age or you have reached the age for state pension credit.
You can visit our page to claim Council Tax reduction
Pensioners
We will work out your reduction using a scheme decided by the Government. We could reduce your bill by up to 100%.
If you don’t qualify for Council Tax Reduction in your own right, you could get second adult rebate. You may be able to get a rebate of up to 25% of what you have to pay if the person who shares your home is:
- aged 18 or over
- not a boarder or sub-tenant
- not your spouse or partner
- not paying Council Tax themselves
- on a low income
You can’t get Council Tax Reduction if you have more than £16,000 in capital or savings (unless you get pension guarantee credit).
People of working age
For working age people, we will work out your reduction using our local income band scheme. The amount of discount you get depends on your income and family make-up. Use the table below to work out which discount you could get
Income bands 2025-26
| Band | Discount (%) | Single person – weekly amount | Single person with one child – weekly amount | Single person with two children – weekly amount | Couple with no children – weekly amount | Couple with one child – weekly amount | Couple with two children – weekly amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band1 | Discount (%)100 | Single person – weekly amount£0 – £104 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£0 – £174 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£0 – £239 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£0 – £153 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£0 – £218 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£0 – £283 |
| Band2 | Discount (%)50 | Single person – weekly amount£104.01 – £169 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£174.01 – £239 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£239.01 – £316 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£153.01 – £229 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£218.01 – £283 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£283.01 – £360 |
| Band3 | Discount (%)25 | Single person – weekly amount£169.01 – £207 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£239.01 -£278 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£316.01 – £402 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£229.01 – £283 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£283.01 – £321 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£360.01 – £446 |
| Band4 | Discount (%)10 | Single person – weekly amount£207.01 – £256 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£278.01 – £316 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£402.01 – £522 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£283.01 – £337 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£321.01 – £360 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£446.01 – £565 |
Income bands 2024-25
| Band | Discount (%) | Single person – weekly amount | Single person with one child – weekly amount | Single person with two children – weekly amount | Couple with no children – weekly amount | Couple with one child – weekly amount | Couple with two children – weekly amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band1 | Discount (%)100 | Single person – weekly amount£0 – £102 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£0 – £171 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£0 – £235 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£0 – £150 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£0 – £214 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£0 – £278 |
| Band2 | Discount (%)75 | Single person – weekly amount£102.01 – £166 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£171.01 – £235 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£235.01 – £310 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£150.01 – £225 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£214.01 – £278 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£278.01 – £353 |
| Band3 | Discount (%)40 | Single person – weekly amount£166.01 – £203 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£235.01 -£273 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£310.01 – £395 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£225.01 – £278 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£278.01 – £315 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£353.01 – £438 |
| Band4 | Discount (%)25 | Single person – weekly amount£203.01 – £251 | Single person with one child – weekly amount£273.01 – £310 | Single person with two children – weekly amount£395.01 – £513 | Couple with no children – weekly amount£278.01 – £331 | Couple with one child – weekly amount£315.01 – £353 | Couple with two children – weekly amount£438.01 – £555 |
When working out your weekly income, we will ignore:
- £25 a week from all earnings if you or your partner work
- £30 a week from all income if you, your partner or dependant child is disabled
- income from Carers Allowance, the support component of Employment and Support Allowance, Child Benefit, any Child Maintenance, war pensions and war disablement pensions
- the amount of the housing element in your Universal Credit
If you get Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, you will fall into band 1 and get a 100% discount.
From 1 April 2025: We will reduce your Council Tax Reduction by £10 a week for each non-dependant living with you. If your home is in Council Tax band E, F, G or H, we will work out your discount as if you lived in a band D property.
You can’t get Council Tax Reduction if you have more than £6,000 in capital or savings.
