Home › Benefit guides › Council Tax Reduction
Council Tax Reduction
Help with your Council Tax bill if you're on a low income or claim benefits, whether you rent or own your home. Sometimes called Council Tax Support. It can take up to 100% off your bill.
See what you could get
Answer a few plain questions and get a list of the benefits and help you're likely to get, with amounts and links to apply.
Check what I can getHow it works where you live
- Pensioners in England, Scotland and Wales are covered by a national scheme. On Pension Credit (guarantee) you usually pay nothing. Otherwise the help is your full bill, minus 20p for every £1 of weekly income you have over your assessed needs.
- Working-age people in England: each council sets its own scheme. Many ask everyone to pay at least something (often 10% to 25%), and the income rules differ.
- Wales has one national scheme for everyone, and people on the lowest incomes can get their whole bill paid.
- Scotland has one national scheme too, and it also cuts your water and sewerage charges.
- Northern Ireland has domestic rates instead of Council Tax. People on Universal Credit claim Rate Rebate; pensioners get help through Housing Benefit; and people aged 70 or over who live alone can get Lone Pensioner Allowance.
Who can get it
You could qualify if you're on Universal Credit, Pension Credit or another benefit, or just on a low wage. What you get depends on your income and savings (including a partner's), who lives with you, and your council's rules. Savings over £16,000 usually rule you out, unless you get Pension Credit guarantee.
Other Council Tax discounts
- Single person discount: 25% off if you're the only adult (18 or over) in your home. It isn't means-tested. Some people, like full-time students and carers, aren't counted as adults.
- Disabled band reduction: if your home has been adapted for a disabled person, your bill can be charged one band lower.
- Severe mental impairment: someone with dementia or a similar condition may not be counted, or the home may be exempt.
How to apply
- England and Wales: find your council's scheme on GOV.UK.
- Scotland: Council Tax Reduction on mygov.scot.
- Single person discount: apply to your council.
Claiming Universal Credit doesn't apply for Council Tax Reduction automatically. You must apply to your council separately, and quickly, because backdating is limited.
Sources
Every figure on this page is copied from these official pages, for April 2026 to March 2027 (checked 3 November 2026):
This is a guide, not advice. The office that runs each benefit decides who gets it. Rules can change.