Council Tax discounts and exemptions

Who can get a Council Tax discount

If you are the only adult in your home, you can apply for a single person discount

You could get a discount if you or the people you live with are not counted as adults for Council Tax.

These persons are disregarded from the Council Tax bill and this is called a disregard.

You’ll usually get a 50% discount if no-one living in your home, including you, counts as an adult.

To apply for this discount, please write to Barnet Council Revenue Services

Or apply by post:

London Borough of Barnet
Local Taxation
PO Box 237
Erith
DA8 9HJ

Get help with Council Tax discounts

To get help with discounts, call us on: 020 8359 2000.

Lines open: Monday to Thursday: 9am to 5:15pm, Friday: 9am to 5pm

People who are not counted as adults for Council Tax:

• Children under 18
• 18 and 19 year olds who are at or have just left school
• People on some apprentice schemes
• Young people under 25 who get funding from the Skills Funding Agency or Young People’s Learning Agency
• Student nurses
• Full-time college and university students
• Foreign language assistants registered with the British Council
• People with a severe mental impairment
• Live-in carers who look after someone who isn’t their partner, spouse or child (PDF 41 KB)
• Diplomats

There are many situations when you might not have to pay Council Tax, when your property is vacant or occupied. See a list of exemptions

Single person discount

You can get 25% off your bill if:

• you are counted as an adult for Council Tax and live on your own
• no-one else in your home is counted as an adult for Council Tax.

Remove a single person discount

If someone stays with you for a short period (e.g. a few weeks) this will not affect your single person discount, but if they stay with you for longer then you must notify us as soon as possible to remove the single person discount.  You must be the person liable for paying Council Tax in order to remove a single person discount.

To remove a single person, please complete the Single Person Discount application/cancellation form.

A new bill will be sent to you when you have been removed.

Single person discount review

If you have received a letter regarding a review of your single person discount, you can start your review using the button below.

 

Discounts for people with disabilities

Severe mental impairment

People who are severely mentally impaired (including dementia and Alzheimers) aren’t included when working out Council Tax.

If you live by yourself and have a severe mental impairment you do not have to pay Council Tax. If you live with someone who has a severe mental impairment, your Council Tax bill could be reduced. You can apply to get a severe mental impairment Council Tax discount or exemption.
 

Disabled Band Reduction Scheme

If you or another occupant has a disability, you may be able to get money off your Council Tax bill.

You’ll have to show that you’ve either:

• a room which is not a bathroom, a kitchen or a lavatory which is mainly used by and is required for meeting the needs of a disabled person

• a bathroom or kitchen which is not the only bathroom or kitchen within your home, which is required for meeting the needs of a disabled person, or

• sufficient floor space to permit the use of a wheel-chair required for meeting the needs of a disabled person

The property must be the main home of at least one person with disabilities. This can be an adult or a child and it doesn’t have to be the person responsible for paying the Council Tax.

You also aren’t included if you’re a live-in carer looking after someone who isn’t your partner, spouse, or child under 18.

If the property is in bands B to H the reduction will be equivalent to the re-banding of the dwelling into the band immediately below. If the property is in band A the charge will be reduced by the equivalent of one ninth of a band D charge.

How to apply for the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme

Apply in writing to:

London Borough of Barnet
Local Taxation
PO Box 237
Erith
DA8 9HJ

Disabled facilities grant

If you have a disability or if you have a disabled child, you may need to have major changes made to your home to make it more suitable, you could get a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to help meet the cost

Student discount

Households where everyone’s a full-time student don’t have to pay Council Tax. If you live in such a household and do get a bill, you can apply for an exemption

To count as a full-time student, your course must:

• last at least 1 year
• involve at least 21 hours study per week.

If you study for a qualification up to A level and you’re under 20, your course must:

• last at least 3 months
• involve at least 12 hours study per week.

You’ll get a Council Tax bill if there’s someone in your household who’s not a full-time student, but your household could still qualify for money off your council tax and you should apply for a discount.

 

Council Tax Support

You could get Council Tax Support if you’re on a low income or claim benefits. Your bill could be reduced by up to 100%.

You can apply if you own your home, rent, are unemployed or working.

See more information about how to  apply for Council Tax Support 

Get help with Council Tax Support

By telephone

Due to the measures in place to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic the Council’s helpline is running at reduced capacity and as such is only able to answer a limited number of calls.

You can get help with new claims by telephone on 020 8359 2000 and with any other enquiries on 0208 359 2111 – if your hearing is impaired you can use Type Talk on 18001 020 8359 2000

Online

More information on how to get help and advice with Council Tax Support is available on our website

You can download our current Council Tax Support scheme (PDF 420 KB)

Empty home premium

Where a home has been empty and unfurnished for more than two years a premium of 100% will be added to the bill.  This means that you pay the full standard rate for the first two years that it is empty, but then pay double the normal Council Tax rate thereafter.  From 1 April 2020 the premium will increase to 200% for properties that have been empty for 5 years or more.

If you are the owner of the property, you will not have to pay this extra amount if:

• The property is unoccupied because you are contractually required by your job to live elsewhere in England or Wales and you pay Council Tax at that address. In which case you will only pay 50 per cent of the full charge
• The property is unoccupied and is an annex to another property being used as your sole or main residence. In which case you will not have to pay the 100 per cent premium if the property has been empty for more than two years.

There are also several exemptions for empty properties, see the list of Council Tax exemptions to see which apply to your home.

Council Tax exemptions

In some cases you might not have to pay Council Tax on your property. This is called an exemption.

You may qualify for a Council Tax exemption

If the property is empty and:

• the property is owned by a charity
• the liable person is in prison (unless they are in prison for not paying Council Tax)
• the liable person is permanently in hospital or a care home
• the liable person has recently died
• by law, nobody can live in the property
• a minister of religion will be moving in
• the liable person is receiving care elsewhere, but not in a hospital or care home
• the liable person is caring for someone elsewhere
• the liable person is a student living elsewhere to study
• it has been repossessed
• it is left vacant by a bankruptcy trustee
• it is an empty caravan pitch or a boat mooring
• it is a self-contained flat or house that can’t be let due to planning restrictions.

if your property is in use and:

• it is lived in only by people who are severely mentally impaired
• it is a hall of residence for students
• it is lived in only by students
• it is owned by the Ministry of Defence and lived in only by members of the armed services
• it is lived in only by visiting service personnel
• it is lived in only by people who are under 18
• it is lived in by a foreign diplomat
• it is a self-contained flat or house lived in by a dependent elderly or disabled relative.

Apply for an exemption

Apply in writing to:

London Borough of Barnet
Local Taxation
PO Box 237
Erith
DA8 9HJ

More information on how to apply for an exemption