Do live-in carers get a Council Tax discount?
Someone who lives in and provides substantial care to another adult can be disregarded for Council Tax, which can reduce the household bill. The carer must meet conditions on hours, relationship and the cared-for person. You apply to your council with details of the caring arrangement.
See everything you may qualify for — benefits, grants, reductions and reliefs — in about 3 minutes. Free to check.
Check what you're owed →A disregarded carer is not counted as an adult for Council Tax. This often means a household with a disabled person and a live-in carer ends up with a discount, because the carer effectively drops out of the adult count.
To qualify, the carer usually needs to provide care for a significant number of hours each week, live in the same property as the person they care for, and the cared-for person normally needs to receive a qualifying disability benefit. There are limits where the carer is a close relative such as a spouse or a parent of a child under 18.
This disregard is separate from Carer Allowance and from the SMI rules, although they can overlap. Because the conditions are specific, it is worth checking carefully and applying, and looking at whether the cared-for person also qualifies for other reductions or benefits.
How to claim the carer disregard
- Check the conditions. Confirm the carer lives in, provides enough hours of care and is not an excluded relative.
- Check the cared-for benefit. Confirm the person receiving care gets a qualifying disability benefit.
- Apply to the council. Submit the carer disregard form with the caring and benefit details.
- Review the bill. Check the revised Council Tax bill to confirm the carer has been disregarded.
Frequently asked questions
- How many hours of care are needed?
- The carer generally needs to provide care for a substantial number of hours each week and live with the person they care for, with the exact threshold set by the rules.
- Can a spouse be a disregarded carer?
- Usually not. Care provided by a spouse or partner, or by a parent for their own child under 18, is excluded from this particular disregard.
- Does the cared-for person need a benefit?
- In most cases yes. They typically need to receive a qualifying disability or attendance benefit for the carer disregard to apply.
- Is this the same as Carer Allowance?
- No. The Council Tax disregard is separate from Carer Allowance, though a person may qualify for both depending on circumstances.
MoneyFinder is an independent sign-posting service that helps you find financial support you may be entitled to. We are not a government body and do not provide financial advice. Figures are taken from the official sources cited above and were correct when last checked — always confirm current details on the linked GOV.UK pages.