What is the Disabled Band Reduction scheme?
The Disabled Band Reduction scheme lets you pay Council Tax as if your home were in a lower band, if it has been adapted or has extra space for a disabled resident. It is not means-tested. You apply to your council, which assesses the qualifying feature.
See everything you may qualify for — benefits, grants, reductions and reliefs — in about 3 minutes. Free to check.
Check what you're owed →The scheme recognises that adapting a home for a disabled person can mean using more space or a property that is, in effect, larger than the household needs. Rather than penalising that, it allows the bill to be charged at the band below the one the property is actually in.
To qualify, the home usually needs a specific feature essential to the disabled person, such as a room used mainly for their needs, an extra bathroom or kitchen, or enough space indoors to use a wheelchair. The feature must be more than minor and must be important to the resident.
A property already in the lowest band can still get a reduction calculated in a similar way. The scheme can run alongside other discounts and reductions, so it is worth applying and checking your full entitlement to benefits and grants at the same time.
How to apply for the Disabled Band Reduction
- Identify the qualifying feature. Note the adapted room, extra facility or wheelchair space that the disabled resident relies on.
- Gather evidence. Prepare details of the disability and how the feature is used, which the council may ask to verify.
- Apply to your council. Complete the Disabled Band Reduction form and submit it to the authority that bills you.
- Allow for an inspection. The council may visit to confirm the feature before reducing your effective band.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the resident have to receive a disability benefit?
- No. The scheme is based on the property having a qualifying feature for a disabled resident, not on receiving a particular benefit, although evidence of disability helps.
- What kind of features qualify?
- Typically a room used mainly for the disabled person, an additional bathroom or kitchen for their needs, or space to use a wheelchair indoors.
- My home is already in the lowest band. Can I still benefit?
- Yes. There is a method to give an equivalent reduction even for properties in the lowest band, so it is still worth applying.
- Is it means-tested?
- No. Your income and savings are not relevant. The decision is based on the property and the disabled resident needing the feature.
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