Single Occupier Discount

The full Council Tax bill assumes there are at least two adults (aged 18 years or over) living in a dwelling. If only one adult is resident (as their sole or main home) a discount of 25% will be allowed. This is called Single Occupier Discount. There is no additional charge when the number of adults is more than two.

If you think you are eligible for single occupier discount please click the link below for an application form.

Single person discount form

Disregards

Certain people will not be counted when looking at the number of adults resident in a property. In some cases these 'additional residents' are disregarded - i.e. they are not counted when looking at the number of residents in the property.

Below is a list of the disregards. Click on each one for more details.

- Student & student nurses
- Apprentices or youth training trainees
- Severely mentally impaired people
- Carers
- Patients in care, nursing homes and hospitals
- Persons in detention
- Members of religious communities
- Members of visiting defence forces, foreign defence organisation or international headquarters

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Student & Student Nurses
A student is a person who is:
1. A foreign language assistant registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits,Exchanges.
or
2. Undertaking a full time course of education and is enrolled at a prescribed educational establishment on a course:
of at least one year: normally for 24 weeks during the year where study, tuition or work experience is an average of 21 hours each week
or
3. Undertaking a qualifying course of education and is aged under 20 years and is NOT:
on a full time course of education
undertaking the course as a result of employment
an apprentice or youth training trainee
primarily taught through correspondence
The course must:
be more than 3 calendar months duration
average more than 12 hours per week
be carried out between the hours of 8am and 5.30pm
A Student Certificate (available from the place of study) will be required as proof.

A student nurse is a person who is:

attending a college of nursing and midwifery, or a college of heath, and the course, if successfully completed, would lead to first registration on the Register maintained under section 10 of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979

- Click here for an application form
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Apprentices & youth training trainees
An apprentice is a person who is:
learning a trade, profession, vocation etc

undertaking a training programme that is accredited by the National Council for Vocational qualifications or the Scottish equivalent, and is receiving an allowance or salary less than would be paid if qualified, and in any case less than £195 gross (before deductions)

A youth trainee is a person who is:

under the age of 25 years, and undertaking training under arrangements that constitute an approved training scheme as defined in section 28 (6) I or the Social Security contributions and Benefits Act 1992

- Click here for an application form
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Severely mentally impaired people
The severely mentally impaired reduction may apply for a person who:

has a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning which appears to be permanent, has a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner,

and

is entitled to one of the following benefits:

Qualifying benefits:

Incapacity Benefit Attendance Allowance Severe Disablement Allowance the highest or middle rate care component of Disability Living Allowance an increase in the rate of disablement pension for constant attendance a disability element of working tax credit an unemployability supplement Constant Attendance Allowance payable under the industrial injuries or war pensions schemes an unemployability allowance under the industrial injuries or war pensions schemes Income Support which includes a disability premium because of incapacity for work

- Click here for an application form

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Carers
Under council tax legislation a person is considered to be a carer if they are:

1. providing care to a person entitled to one of the following benefits:

higher rate Attendance Allowance the highest rate of the care component of a Disability Living Allowance an increase in a Constant Attendant Allowance an increase in his/her Disablement Pension the highest rate of Constant Attendance Allowance payable on top of full rate Disablement Benefit paid for an industrial injury

2. Resident in the same property as the person they are providing care for

3. Providing care for at least 35 hours per week on average

And they are not:

the partner of the person being cared for the parent of the person being cared for, who is a child below the age of 18

- Click here for an application form

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Patients in care, nursing homes and hospitals
Care homes
A residential care home must be registered under:

The Residential Homes Act 1984 or The National Assistance Act 1948 or The National Health Service Act 1977 or be residential accommodation provided and run by the Abbeyfield Society or a body affiliated to the Society (homes with three beds or less may be exempt from registration)

A nursing home is:

an establishment which is a nursing home within the meaning of the Registered Homes Act 1984 or an establishment which is a mental nursing home within the meaning of that Act

Hospitals

During temporary stays in hospital you do not qualify for a reduction in your council tax. · During long term stays in hospital you may qualify for a reduction in your council tax.
Persons in detention
Members of religious communities
Members of visiting defence forces, foreign defence organisation or international headquarters
Residents in hostels and night shelter for homeless people

- Click here for an application form

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Persons in detention
A reduction applies if a person is:

held in a prison, a hospital or any other place by a British court held under the deportation provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 held under the Mental Health Act 1983 imprisoned, detained or in custody for more than 48 hours under the Army Act 1955,the Air Force Act 1955 or the Naval Discipline Act 1957

A person who is in police custody before their first court appearance, or who is detained for non-payment of council tax or non-payment of a fine, is not treated as detained for the purpose of a reduction.
A prisoner on temporary release is treated as being detained.

- Click here for an application form

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Members of religious communities
Members of religious communities refers mainly to monks and nuns and certain conditions will need to be met to qualify for the reduction. Persons belonging to the various religious denominations (e.g. Church of England, Methodist) and who may attend church on a regular basis do not qualify for this reduction.

- Click here for an application form

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Members of visiting defence forces, foreign defence organisation or international headquarters
A person who has a relevant association with a visiting force will not be taken into account when assessing the number of adults living in a property.

A visiting force is anybody, contingent or detachment of the forces of a country to which the Visiting Forces Act 1952 applies.

A “relevant association” is:

being a member of that visiting force or a member of a civilian component of that force, or being a person, not a citizen of the United Kingdom or ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, but being a dependant of a member of that visiting force or of a civilian component of that force

The countries listed in the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1965 are:
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, The Netherlands, The Republic of Cyprus, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, USA, Zambia.

- Click here for an application form

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Second homes

If you pay Council Tax on another property, you may qualify for a discount on your second home in the Braintree District. Currently a property which is no-one's sole or main residence but is furnished is eligible for a reduction of 10% of the full charge.

For example an owner of a property which is let furnished and from time to time becomes unoccupied between tenancies will be charged 90% of the full Council Tax rate. 

An owner of a property used as a weekend holiday home will be charged 90% of the full Council Tax rate.

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This Authority is under a duty to protect the public funds that it administers and, to this end, may use the information you provide this Authority for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies administering or in receipt of public funds, such as HM Revenues and Customs.

The council participates in data matching exercises through the National Fraud Initiative. These exercises match the data held by the council with that of other agencies, including other local authorities and government departments to:
Prevent or detect benefit fraud or any other crime;
Support national fraud initiatives; and protect public funds.

You are obliged to inform us within 21 days of a change in your circumstances which may affect your entitlement to a discount, exemption or relief. Failure to do so may result in prosecution.