Council Tax Reduction

Make or view a claim, report a change and upload evidence online.

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Who can claim

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

What you get depends on:

• your circumstances – for example, your income, number of children, benefits and residency status
• your household income – this includes savings, pensions and your partner's income
• if your children live with you
• if other adults live with you

Use our Benefit Calculator to see if you can get a reduction to your Council Tax.

How Council Tax Reduction is worked out

There are 2 types of reduction.

Council Tax Reduction

If you're on a low income.

Second Adult Reduction

If your income or savings are too high for the main reduction, but you're the only person paying Council Tax and you share your home with one or more adults who:

• do not pay rent
• are not your spouse, partner or civil partner
• have a combined weekly income of less than £358

When you apply for a Council Tax Reduction we will automatically work out which type gives you the most money.

For more details on how your Council Tax Reduction could be effected by others living with you see non-dependant deductions and income bands.

Council Tax Reduction scheme document

See full Council Tax Reduction scheme 2025-26 details (pdf, 228 page(s), 2.04 MB).

Companion guide

The companion guide is a helpful resource to the Council Tax Reduction scheme. It has no legal status and does not vary or override the scheme. The guide is not a policy and is not used by the council to make decisions. 

For the avoidance of doubt, should discrepancies exist between the scheme and the guide, the Council Tax Reduction scheme prevails.

Read the companion guide 2025-26 (pdf, 58 page(s), 657.01 KB).

How Council Tax Reduction is paid

The reduction amount for the full financial year is paid into your Council Tax account. You will then be sent a new bill for the reduced amount.

Disagree with or appeal a decision

You can contact us to disagree with a decision. We will then write to you explaining any changes or why we cannot change our decision.

If you have been told the decision is not going to change after disagreeing, you can appeal directly to the Valuation Tribunal for England, which is an independent body.

Make sure you're aware of the strict time limits when appealing a decision.