Apply for a Council Tax discount for people with a severe mental impairment

A severe mental impairment is a condition that can affect how someone thinks and how they interact with other people.

It may include any of the following conditions:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • the effects of a stroke
  • severe learning difficulties
  • the result of an injury

If you are aged 18 or over and you have a severe mental impairment, you may receive a discount on your Council Tax bill.

How to qualify

You must be certified by a registered medical professional, such as a doctor, as having a severe mental impairment.

You must also be eligible to receive at least 1 of these benefits:

Living support

  • Incapacity benefit
  • Constant Attendance Allowance
  • Severe Disablement Allowance
  • Attendance Allowance
  • increase in the rate of Disablement Pension as constant attendance is needed
  • care component of Disability Living Allowance at the higher or middle rate
  • Personal Independence Payment, with a standard or enhanced daily living component

Employment support

  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Unemployability Supplement as an increase to Disablement Pension
  • Unemployability Supplement, payable with War Disablement Pension
  • Income Support disability premium awarded on the grounds of incapacity for work
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance if received by the partner of the severely mentally impaired person
  • Disability Living Allowance, where based on getting Income Support including disability premium
  • Universal Credit, including an element for limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work-related activity

Tax support

  • Disability element of Working Tax Credit, where previously entitled to Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance

Support for members of the armed forces

  • Unemployability Supplement payable with War Disablement Pension
  • Armed Forces Independence Payment

What discount you can get

If you have a severe mental impairment and either:

  • you live by yourself
  • all the other adults living with you have a severe mental impairment or are full-time students

You can get a 100% discount on your Council Tax.

You will get a 50% discount on your Council Tax bill if all other adults living with you are ‘disregarded’. This means that we do not count them when figuring out how many people live in your property. This also includes guests who live with you under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

If you live with someone who has a severe mental impairment and there are either:

  • no other adults living in your property
  • everyone else in your property is disregarded

You will be eligible for a 25% discount on your Council Tax bill.

How to apply

If you want to apply for a discount for yourself or on behalf of someone else, complete our form.

Before you start, make sure that you have a Doctor’s Certificate with you. This is to confirm that you or the person you are applying for has a severe mental impairment.

If you do not have a Doctor’s Certificate, you will need to download our Doctor’s Certificate form and give it to your doctor to complete for you. You can ask them to return it to you to attach with your application or send it back to us.

If you receive benefits, we may also ask to see a copy of your entitlement letter. You can get this from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

What happens next

Once you submit your application, we will review it and then contact you to let you know if you have been awarded the discount. This may take around 10 working days.

Page last updated: 11 October 2023

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