Reduce your Council Tax

Single person's discount only applies to your main home, where you live. You can't get it for a second home.

Some people aren't counted for Council Tax.

If you live with someone who isn't counted, it may mean that you can get a Single Person Discount on your bill.

These people aren't counted for Council Tax:

• Non-British partners or other dependants of foreign students who are not allowed to work or claim benefits.
• Those under 20 who are still at school or have just left school.
• Someone for whom Child Benefit is still being paid.
• Foreign Language Assistants.
• Long-stay hospital patients are not counted for Council Tax where they normally live.
• Members of international headquarters and defence organisations and their dependants.
• Members of visiting forces and their dependants.
• People with diplomatic immunity and privileges.

Apply

Complete our online form to apply for Single Occupier Discount.

Start now (opens in new tab)

After you've applied for the discount

You must continue to pay the instalments shown on your Council Tax bill until you hear from us.

We periodically check accounts that have been granted discounts and exemptions. If we contact you to review your discount and we don't hear back from you, we will cancel it.

If your circumstances change, you must tell us within 21 days. Failure to do so may result in you being issued with a £70 penalty.

The Council Tax Support Scheme for people of pension age is calculated based on a scheme provided to all Local Authorities by Central government - Councils cannot change the principles of this Scheme. 

To find out more about the Council Tax Support Scheme for working age customers, open the link below to view the information in detail. 

Council Tax Support

Exceptional Hardship Fund Policy (EHF)

The Exceptional Hardship Fund offers short term financial help to customers who are in receipt of council tax support but are struggling to pay their council tax charge.

The principles behind the policy is to help people over a 'short-term' crisis when their income does not meet 'reasonable' expenses.

Please see the EHF policy below for more information.  If you think you meet the criteria and wish to apply for additional assistance, please phone the Council on 01237 428700 and speak to an advisor who will talk this through with you.

How do I claim?

Use the online form to Apply for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction

Find out how to claim or how to backdate your claim.

If there has been a reason which stopped or delayed you applying for housing benefit and/or council tax support you can ask for your claim to be 'backdated' so that it starts from an earlier date. 

 Report a change of circumstances for Housing Benefits and/or Council Tax Reduction

Overpayments

Overpayments

Related downloads

• Exceptional Hardship Fund Policy (PDF, 170 KB)
• Exceptional Hardship Form and Notes (PDF, 179 KB)
• EHF Care Leaver Policy (PDF, 180 KB)
• TDC Privacy Notice - Service Specific - HB & CTS (PDF, 128 KB)

The person responsible for paying the Council Tax bill usually applies for the reduction even if they are not the disabled person. For example, the disabled person may be a child.

In order to qualify, the person with a disability must live in your home.

There must be at least one of the following features in the property:

• A room, other than a kitchen, bathroom, or toilet used by, and for meeting the needs of, the person with a disability- e.g. a room set aside for storage of dialysis equipment.
• An additional bathroom or kitchen used predominantly by, and for meeting the needs of, the person with the disability
• Additional space inside the home to allow for the use of a wheelchair.

If you get a Disabled Person's Reduction, you can still apply for other discounts

You can also still apply for Council Tax Support if you have a low income.

Apply

Start now

After you've applied for the Disabled Person's Reduction

You must continue to pay the instalments shown on your Council Tax bill until you hear from us.

We periodically check accounts that have been granted discounts and exemptions.  If we contact you to review your discount and we don't hear back from you, we will cancel it.You must tell us if there is a change in your circumstances that may affect your discount. If you don't tell us you may have to pay a penalty.

You must tell us if there is a change in your circumstances that may affect your discount. If you don't tell us you may have to pay a penalty.

In some circumstances, we do not count a live-in carer when adding up the number of people in a property. If just you and your carer live in your home, you may be able to get a Carer's Discount to reduce your bill by 25%.

The live-in carer must provide care for at least 35 hours a week and they must not be:

• the partner of the person who is being cared for; or
• the child's parent if the person being cared for is under 18.

The person being cared for must also get one of these benefits:

• The middle or highest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment Daily Living Component at either standard or enhanced rate
• Attendance Allowance (AA)
• Increase in Constant Attendance Allowance under the Industrial Injuries or War Pensions scheme
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Highest rate of Constant Attendance Allowance payable on top of full rate Disablement Benefit paid for an industrial injury 

Apply

Print off the Application form (PDF, 88 KB), fill it in and return it to us:

Email - scan it and send it to us at [email protected]

Post it to - Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QG

Can't print the form? Call us on 01237 428900 and we'll send you one.

After you've applied for the discount

You must continue to pay the instalments shown on your Council Tax bill until you hear from us.

We periodically check accounts that have been granted discounts and exemptions.  If we contact you to review your discount and we don't hear back from you, we will cancel it.

You must tell us if there is a change in your circumstances that may affect your discount. If you don't tell us you may have to pay a penalty.

You could be exempt from paying council tax if:

• you're a full time student living in a property on your own
• you're a full time student living in a property solely with other full time students

You could be entitled to a 25% discount on your council tax if:

• all residents are full time students except one other adult who is not a student.
• if two or more non-students occupy a property then there is no reduction.

In most cases, it's the people who are non-students that are liable to pay the council tax.

If any of the following circumstances apply to you, a member of your household or your property then you may able to claim a discount or exemption.

Full time students attending college or university

To qualify you must be undertaking a full-time or qualifying course at a Prescribed Educational Establishment. A full-time course is one:

• which lasts for at least one academic year at the educational establishment concerned
• where attendance is required for periods of at least 24 weeks in the academic year; and
• which involves at least 21 hours a week during term time for periods of study, tuition, work experience or a combination of these.

A qualifying course is one:

• where the person undertaking it is under 20 years of age
• the course lasts for more than 3 months; is more than 12 hours per week; is not a course of higher education or a correspondence course and is not undertaken as a consequence of employment (I.e. day release)
• attendance must be between 8.00am and 5.30pm

For all other educational establishments we will need to see your student certificate when you apply for a discount or an exemption.

Student nurses

Nursing and midwifery students, including those on pre-registration undergraduate courses and post-registration health visitor training, count as students. For discount purposes a student nurse means a person undertaking a course which if successfully completed, would lead to registration under the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1997.  Student nurses taking traditional hospital based training do not count as students.

PHD Students

PHD students are exempt from Council Tax; but not for an open ended period, if they meet the criteria of a full-time student.

Foreign language assistants

To qualify you must be registered with the Central Bureau for educational visits and exchanges; and appointed in a school or other educational institution in the UK.

We will need to see the appropriate student certificate or Central Bureau registration certificate when you apply for a discount or exemption.

School and college leavers under the age of 20

An 18 or 19 year old that has left school or college after 30 April will not be included until 1 November of the same year.

To qualify, the education course must not have been any higher than A level or equivalent. If they go on to further or higher education they may continue to be eligible for a discount.

Student halls of residence

Halls of residence are exempt if they are occupied by students and owned and managed by an educational establishment.

A property left unoccupied by a student owner

Properties left unoccupied by a student owner may be exempt from paying council tax.

Please note: the following are not classed as students and are therefore liable for council tax:

• people studying at evening classes or
• courses taken in connection with a person's job, such as day release.

Apply for a Student Discount 

Print off the  Application form (PDF, 40 KB), fill it in and return it to us:

Email it to us at [email protected]

Post it to - Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QG

Can't print the form? Call us on 01237 428900 and we'll send you one.

After you have applied for the discount:

You must continue to pay the instalments shown on your Council Tax bill until you hear from us.

We periodically check accounts that have been granted discounts and exemptions.  If we contact you to review your discount and we don't hear back from you, we will cancel it.

You must tell us if there is a change in your circumstances that may affect your discount. If you don't tell us you may have to pay a penalty.

Apply for an empty property discount 

Discount (Class C) for a property that is unoccupied and unfurnished

Empty unfurnished properties and empty caravans are entitled to a 100% discount for up to one month. This also applies to newly built properties for up to one month after they are completed as long as no-one lives there and they remain unfurnished.

Start now

Long Term Empty Premium

If a property remains empty and unfurnished the following premium charges will become applicable:

• From 1^st April 2019 - Properties empty for 2 year or more       - 100% premium

• From 1^st April 2020 - Properties empty for 2 years  to 5 years - 100% premium

                                      Properties empty for 5 years or more      -  200% premium

• From 1^st April 2021 - Properties empty for 2 years to 5 years -  100% premium

                                       Properties empty for 5 years to 10 years -  200% premium

                                       Properties empty for 10 years or more    -  300% premium

• From 1st April 2024 - Properties empty for 1 year to 5 years -  100% premium

                                       Properties empty for 5 years to 10 years -  200% premium

                                       Properties empty for 10 years or more    -  300% premium

• From 1st April 2025 - Properties that are second homes - 100% premium (no-one's main residence but is substantially furnished).

2025 Torridge Council Tax Empty Homes & Second Home Premiums Policy 2025 (PDF, 182 KB)

Government guidance to the council tax premiums and exceptions for long term empty homes and second homes can be found at the following link:

Long-term empty homes and second homes: Council tax premiums and exceptions - GOV.UK

FAQ - Second Home, Long Term Empty Properties & Exceptions (PDF, 306 KB)

Please note that if your circumstances change you must tell us within 21 days.  Failure to do so may result in you being issued with a £70 Penalty.

Exemptions from Council Tax - no charge to pay

Exemptions from Council Tax apply in the following circumstances:

Unoccupied and owned by a charity (PDF, 44 KB)

Empty due to person being in prison (PDF, 83 KB)

Empty due to person having gone to live in a care home (PDF, 43 KB)

Empty due to person having gone to live in a hospital (PDF, 84 KB)

Council tax payer has died leaving the property empty (PDF, 83 KB)

Occupation is prohibited by law (PDF, 44 KB)

Empty property held for a minister of religion (PDF, 38 KB)

Person living elsewhere to receive personal care (PDF, 88 KB)

Person living elsewhere to provide personal care (PDF, 37 KB)

Property left empty by a student (PDF, 42 KB)

Mortgage lender in possession of property (PDF, 84 KB)

Students halls of residence (PDF, 44 KB)

Property occupied only by students (PDF, 40 KB)

Forces accommodation (PDF, 38 KB)

Visiting forces accommodation (PDF, 38 KB)

Property left empty by a bankrupt person (PDF, 83 KB)

Unoccupied caravan pitch or boat mooring (PDF, 38 KB)

Property occupied only by persons under 18 years of age (PDF, 36 KB)

Main residence of a person with diplomatic privilege or immunity (PDF, 39 KB)

Occupied granny annexe to an occupied property (PDF, 42 KB)

Property occupied only by severely mentally impaired person(s) (PDF, 207 KB)

Severely Mentally Impaired - Discount (PDF, 206 KB)

SMI Doctors Certificate (PDF, 674 KB)

Under The Council Tax (Reductions for Annexes) (England) Regulations 2013 SI 2977, a dwelling which forms part of a single property which has been separately assessed for Council Tax purposes and is the sole or main residence of a relative, or used as overflow accommodation of the main dwelling, may qualify for a 50% discount in Council Tax from 1st April 2014 subject to the following conditions:

That the dwelling:
1. Forms part of a single property which includes at least one other dwelling; and
2. Is being used by a resident of that other dwelling or, as the case may be, one of those other dwellings, as part of their sole or main residence, or
3. Is the sole or main residence of a relative of the person who is liable to pay council tax in respect of that other dwelling or, as the case may be, one of those other dwellings

Apply for Annexe Discount

Print off the Annexe Discount Application Form (PDF, 85 KB), fill it in and return it to us:

Email - scan it and send it to us at [email protected]

Post it to - Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QG

Can't print the form? Call us on 01237 428900 and we'll send you one.

After you've applied for the discount

You must continue to pay the instalments shown on your Council Tax bill until you hear from us.