Council Tax: Reduction and other discounts

Here we have listed the discounts relevant to carers. 

Council Tax Reduction 

You can apply for a Council Tax Reduction if you: 

• Have savings of less than £16,000 
• Are responsible for paying Council Tax (your name is on the bill), and
• Have a low income from benefits or work, including self-employment 

You can apply for this through Edinburgh Council or Midlothian Council. 

Disabled person discount 

If you or anyone else in your home has a permanent and substantial disability, you are eligible for a Council Tax discount. This applies to adults and children. 

To receive this discount, you must show that your home has either: 

• An extra kitchen or bathroom for the specific needs of the disabled person 
• An extra room (not a bathroom, kitchen or toilet) that is mainly used by the disabled person and is required to meet their additional needs 
• Or enough indoor space for the disabled person to use a wheelchair. The wheelchair must be needed for day-to-day living indoors 

And the impact of this room must be of major importance to the disabled person’s wellbeing, because either: 

• Their health would suffer 
• The disability would be likely to become more severe 
• Or they would find it physically impossible or extremely difficult to live in the dwelling 

Discount if some people in your home are “disregarded” 

If only one adult living in a property is responsible for paying Council Tax (meaning their name is on the bill) and everyone else is disregarded, then a single person’s discount applies. This is 25% off. 

A person is “disregarded” and doesn’t have to pay Council Tax if they are either: 

• Age 17 or under 
• Severely mentally impaired (for example, if they have dementia)
• A live-in carer of someone entitled to any of these benefits. You must be providing care for at least 35 hours a week. This doesn’t apply if the person you’re caring for is your spouse, partner or child aged under 18
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• A long-term hospital patient or care home resident 
• Living in the property temporarily, and it’s not their normal home 
• Living in a hostel which provides care or treatment because they’re older, disabled, have past or present alcohol or drug dependence or past or present mental illness 

Apply or find out more

• Find out more from Scot Gov
• Read more info from Citizens Advice
• Apply for Council Tax Reduction through Edinburgh Council or Midlothian Council
• Use the benefits calculator from Edinburgh Council