Little known allowance on council tax for people with mental health issues.
Check yours free and apply from this site.
Discounts for disabled people
People who are severely mentally impaired aren’t included when working out Council Tax.
You also aren’t included if you’re a live-in carer looking after someone who isn’t your partner, spouse, or child under 18.
Apply for a Council Tax discount.
Disabled Band Reduction Scheme
You may be eligible for the scheme if you live in a larger property than you would need if you or another occupant weren’t disabled.
You’ll have to show that you’ve either:
an extra bathroom, kitchen or other room that you need for the disabled person
extra space inside the property for using a wheelchair
The property must be the main home of at least 1 disabled person. This can be an adult or a child - it doesn’t have to be the person responsible for paying the Council Tax.
Wow, thank you for sharing this - I'm sure a lot of people don't know about this and it could really help!
Its good but theres alot more to it then that.
In most cases its cheaper to just pay the bedroom tax or council tax as they tend to up your rent or down your benefits where you end up losing more. You should apply for Housing discretionary at the very minimum if your struggling.
See youl think oh brilliant Im exempt but then your rent goes up Or great I will get a carer but then you lose your carers allowance to the carer and your rent goes up.
Theres just so much more to it and not many people will tell you the truth.
Try passing a assesment for Mental health, Anxiety, depression and Im sure youl fail like I have several times.
Just saying Ive found its cheaper to just get the disretionary and pay on both bedroom tax and council tax as they will take it off you in some other way.
Take care.
rickyssound yep people defo need to think of the bigger picture - as they could end up worse off! Fair point, as we are all trying to get by.
No there will be nothing increasing if you meet this exemption. It is in no way linked to means tested benefits such as HB. My husband works in that area.
Mrmac You can't claim the exemption without being in receipt of a qualifying DWP benefit (technically you could if the DWP would write a letter confirming someone would be eligible if they applied), therefore by claiming a DWP benefit you could be worse off and lose out on other benefits. This is what others are implying.
Don't forget that even if someone's doctor would certify that they are severely mentally impaired, they need to be in receipt of a qualifying DWP such as the care component of disability living allowance.
If you are wondering, this is intended for people with conditions such as Down's syndrome, Alzheimer's, some forms of Parkinson's that affect mental capacity. That being said, this isn't an exhaustive list.
Information about Council Tax discounts and exemptions is usually on the reverse of the bill and can be found on your council's website.
It pays to read!
What you say is true but it covers a wider area than you mentioned. I've practical experience locally helping people with severe mental impairment claim an exemption. Severe mental impairment can cover a lot of conditions. I think we both agree it varies from council to council. Thanks for your reply
Mrmac I did say my list wasn't exhaustive 
It's true it does cover a lot of conditions but ultimately they need to prove entitlement to a qualifying benefit AND their Doctor must certify they meet the definition laid out in legislation.
Severely mentally impaired means a person who has severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning (however caused), which appears to be permanent.
Ricky mentioned anxiety and depression but those don't indicate that someone has an impairment of intelligence (in isolation).
There are instances where I have awarded it for autistic spectrum disorders as well as the others I have mentioned, but that's because it was certified by the Doctor.
Mrmac It doesn't vary from council to council, it varies from GP to GP.
We base our decision on that of the GP who completes part of the form and declares whether in their professional opinion the individual meets the definition of severely mentally impaired according to the definition set out in legislation.
I knew about the discount but didn't know about the exception. Definitely going to look into this thank you
BeckyMacDonald The exemption only applies if all occupiers qualify as being severely mentally impaired. If someone who is SMI lives with you and your spouse, to be entitled to a discount at least one of the other two of you would need to be disregarded as a carer providing at least 35 hours of personal care per week. Subject to completing the relevant forms and providing satisfactory evidence, this would entitle you to a 25% discount. If you both individually provide at least 35 hours of personal care each for that person, you could get a 50% discount.
A carer's disregard discount cannot apply if you provide personal care for 35 hours of care per week for your partner or spouse.
Is the discount even enough to be worth all the bother of applying? Seems to be a lot more to it than a simple exemption!
Money saving guides written by our experts
We send our newsletter once a day with the very best deals, vouchers and freebies shared by our community. Make sure you don't miss all that lovely free stuff!
Chief Bargain Hunter
