Welcome To Wirral

How do discounts work and can I get one?

The Council Tax bill assumes that there are two adults (aged 18 years or over) living in a home.  If only one adult lives there (as their main home), the Council Tax is reduced by a quarter.  If a home is no one's main home, in most cases, the bill is reduced by half.  From 1 April 2008 the discount awarded on unoccupied furnished properties that are no one's main home, commonly known as Second Homes, is reduced to 25%.  The bill is not increased if there are more than two adults in the home.  See Single Adult Discount on-line application form in the related links section.

We ignore certain people when deciding how many adults are resident in a home and they are disregarded when calculating the bill. A list of disregarded people is shown below.

The following people are not counted for Council Tax if they meet the conditions shown below:

• Full-time students, student nurses, apprentices and Youth Training trainees
• Patients resident in hospital
• People who are being looked after in residential care homes, nursing homes, mental nursing homes and hostels providing a high level of care
• People who are severely mentally impaired
• People kept in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983
• People staying in certain hostels or night shelters (like the Salvation Army)
• Monks and Nuns
• 18- and 19-year-olds who are at school or have just left school, and people for whom child benefit is payable
• Care workers working on low pay, usually for charities such as Community Service Volunteers
• People caring for someone with a disability who is not a spouse, partner or child under 18
• Convicted and remand prisoners, except people in prison for non-payment of fines or the Council Tax
• Non-British spouses of students - Members (and dependents) of International HQ and Defence Organisations
• Members and dependants of Visiting Forces
• Persons with Diplomatic Privileges or Immunities

For example, if there are two adults in a home and one of them is disregarded, the bill is worked out as if only one adult lives there and is reduced by one quarter.

What are the conditions for being disregarded?

The main conditions for each group are set out below. Help, advice and information on these areas is available at the Council Tax Office and information points.  See How to contact us in the related links section.

Students

You are disregarded if you are a student (which includes a student from overseas) on a full-time course of education or on a qualifying course of education. See Student Discount on-line application form in the related links section.

You are a student if you are:

• attending a university, polytechnic or college course which lasts for at least an academic year, takes at least 24 weeks a year and involves at least 21 hours of study per week during term time; or
• under the age of 20 and studying for more than three months and at least 12 hours per week and the course is not a course of higher education. Correspondence courses, evening classes, or courses taken in connection with a person's job, such as day-release, are not included.

Foreign language assistants registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges are also considered students.

Student Nurses

You are disregarded if you are a student nurse on a course leading to registration on Parts 1 to 6 or 8 of the Nursing Register. Nurses who are already on the Register are not disregarded. Student nurses studying academic courses at university or polytechnic are excluded from this.

Apprentices

You are not counted if you are an apprentice employed to learn a job and, as part of that learning, are undertaking training leading to a qualification recognised by the National Council for Vocational Qualifications. You must be paid less than £160 per week.

Youth Training Trainees

You are not counted if you are under 25 and are receiving training in line with an individual training plan under the Youth Training Scheme.

Resident Hospital Patients

You are not counted if you are a patient in a hospital which is your only or main residence. If you are in hospital for a short time, you go on paying Council Tax at your home.

People living in Residential Care Homes, Nursing Homes, Mental Nursing Homes and Hostels providing a high level of care

You are not counted if you reside, and are receiving care, in one of the above places, as long as it is your main home.

People who are severely mentally impaired

People who are severely mentally impaired are not counted. For Council Tax purposes, a person is severely mentally impaired if they suffer from severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning which appears to be permanent. This usually includes people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other similar illnesses.

For someone to be disregarded, a certificate is needed from a doctor to show severe mental impairment. The person must also be entitled to one of a number of benefits including certain invalidity pensions, disability allowances, unemployability allowances or attendance allowances.

People staying in certain Hostels or Night Shelters

Some places such as short-stay hostels or night shelters provide communal accommodation for people who have no fixed abode and no settled way of life. These may include hostels run by the Salvation or Church Army. Anyone whose main or only accommodation is in this type of place is not counted.

Monks and Nuns

You are not counted if you are a member of a religious community, provided that you depend on the community for your material needs and have no personal income or capital. (This still applies if you receive income from a pension from a former job.)

Only members of religious communities whose main work is prayer, contemplation, the relief of suffering, education or any combination of these are not counted.

18 and 19 year olds

You are not counted if you are 18 or 19 years old and are in full-time education (but not higher education). This includes people of that age who are at school or college and are on courses up to, and including, A-level standard.

You are also not counted if you are at least 18 years old and someone is receiving Child Benefit for you, or would be if you were not in local authority care.

If you are 18 or 19 years old and left school after April 30th, you are disregarded until November 1st of the same year. If you go on to Further or Higher Education, you may continue to be disregarded as a student.

Carers

You are not counted if you live with, and care for, a person with a disability who is receiving certain allowances or disablement pensions. You must provide the care for at least 35 hours a week, and the person you are providing care for must not be your husband or wife (or partner if you live together as man and wife), or your child under 18 years old.

Care workers

You are not counted if you care for an elderly person or a person with a disability, in return for payment of up to £35 per week. Care workers must reside where the care is given or in premises provided by their employer, and must provide care on behalf of a local authority or charity or be employed by the person for whom they care.

People in Prison

Prisoners who are on remand or in prison are not counted. However, for people who are imprisoned for not paying a fine or non-payment of Council Tax, the disregard will not apply.

Others

• Non-British spouses of students.
• People with diplomatic privileges or immunities.
• Members and dependants of International HQ and Defence Organisations.
• Members and dependants of Visiting Forces.

How do I claim a discount?

If you think a discount should apply to your home, you should contact the Council Tax Office.

See How to Contact us, or use the appropriate on-line form in the related links section:

Single Adult Discount

Student Discount

What evidence might I need to support my claim?

If you have applied for a discount, we may contact you if we need further evidence to support your claim. For example, if you are claiming because of severe mental impairment, you need a certificate from a doctor confirming the condition. Students and student nurses will be asked to provide a certificate from their college (Colleges have to provide a certificate if asked for one).

What can I do if the Council refuses to give me a discount?

See Council Tax Appeals in the related links section.

See Pensioner Discount in the pages in this section link.