Council Tax Reduction Guidance for Carers

To help you identify whether you may be able to help access a Council Tax reduction or exemption for the person you care for, Mark Halls, Head of Revenues and Benefits at LB Sutton, has provided us with some useful notes on how Council Tax reductions work in Sutton.

Did you know? If you care for someone who lives on their own and has a severe or chronic mental impairment e.g. dementia or learning disability, and would otherwise be liable to pay the council tax, they may qualify for an exemption.

If they live with others, they may still qualify for a discount, or if everyone in a property is disregarded, an exemption is awarded. If everyone but one person in a property is disregarded, a 25% discount will be applied. This applied if the person lives as a couple, i.e. if one person is exempt, the other will be seen as a single person, and thereby attract the relevant discount.

If more than two people are not disregarded, no discount will be awarded.

To apply for a reduction, the Council will require evidence of entitlement to one of the benefits listed on the application form, along with the name and address of a doctor with knowledge of the person’s condition. You must agree for the Council to approach your doctor for verification.

The person must have certification of their condition by their doctor or a medical practitioner who has knowledge of their illness, stating that he or she is severely mentally impaired.

An application will need to be made for the London borough of Sutton to review. For more information and to apply for this exemption please follow this link.

A full list of Council Tax discounts and exemptions can be found on the London Borough of Sutton website on call 020 8770 5000.

If you need any assistance in applying or still have questions, please get in touch so that we can help, book you an appointment with our CAS Team, or you can drop in to see our Cost of Living expert, Pavithra, on Friday, 10-1pm.