Disregarded Person — Council Tax Meaning
Summary
In council tax law, a 'disregarded person' is someone who is not counted when calculating how many adults live in a property for discount purposes. The concept comes from the Council Tax (Discount Disregards) Order 1992 (SI 1992/548). If you share a home with a disregarded person, the council should treat you as if you live alone — entitling you to the 25% single-person discount. Categories include full-time students, live-in carers providing 35+ hours weekly, individuals with Severe Mental Impairment, apprentices earning below the threshold, student nurses, and hospital or care home residents who retain the address as their main home.
Why Disregards Matter
The resident count determines council tax discounts. Two non-disregarded adults means full council tax. One non-disregarded adult means 25% discount. Zero non-disregarded adults means 50% discount (as if unoccupied). Disregards effectively make certain residents invisible for this count. A household of three adults — two students and one worker — is treated as one adult for discount purposes, triggering the single-person discount for the worker.
Am I Disregarded?
You qualify as a disregarded person if you fall into any of these categories:
- ✓Full-time student at a prescribed institution — course of 1+ year, 21+ hours per week (Article 4)
- ✓Carer providing 35+ hours per week to a non-spouse/partner/parent receiving qualifying disability benefits (Article 3)
- ✓Person with Severe Mental Impairment receiving a qualifying benefit (Article 2)
- ✓Apprentice employed under an apprenticeship agreement earning below £195/week (Article 6)
- ✓Student nurse (Article 5) or youth trainee (Article 7)
- ✓Patient resident in a hospital, care home, or nursing home (Article 8)
Proving Your Status
The billing authority may request evidence: student exemption certificate from your institution, GP letter confirming SMI diagnosis plus DWP benefit award letter, carer's statement plus care recipient's benefit award letter, or apprenticeship agreement with payslips showing earnings below the threshold. There is no standard application form — write to the billing authority citing the relevant article of SI 1992/548.
Sources
- Council Tax (Discount Disregards) Order 1992, SI 1992/548
- Local Government Finance Act 1992, s.11
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can someone be disregarded even if they own the property?
- Yes. Disregard status relates to the discount calculation, not liability. An owner-occupier with SMI who lives alone would be both the liable person and a disregarded person — resulting in a 50% discount as if the dwelling were unoccupied.
- Does being disregarded mean I don't have to pay council tax?
- Not exactly. Being disregarded means you are not counted in the resident total for discount purposes. You may still be the liable person if you are highest in the s.6 hierarchy. The discount reduces what is owed, but someone must still pay the reduced amount.
- What if the council doesn't know I'm disregarded?
- The billing authority will not apply the disregard unless you inform them. Notify the authority in writing, provide evidence, and request that the discount be applied from the date your disregard status began. You can backdate the claim.
Related
- Council Tax Discount — Definition and Types
- student-council-tax-exemption
- carer-council-tax-discount
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