Clackmannanshire Council Online

Council Tax Discounts and Reductions

Council Tax Discounts and Reductions

There are two basic discounts which apply for the purposes of calculating your Council Tax bill.

• A 25% discount is available if there is only one adult living in the property
• A 10% discount is available if the property is unoccupied

Long term empty properties

If you are an owner of a property which has been empty for 12 months or more, the council tax charge for the empty property will increase by an additional 100%.

An exemption will still apply to an empty and unfurnished property for up to 6 months from the date it was last occupied. After this, a 50% discount will be awarded for a further 6 months. Once 12 months has elapsed the discount will end and the charge will increase to 200%.

It is important that you advise us as early as possible if the circumstances of your property change.

Discounted persons

Some people are not counted when deciding how many adults are living in a property. These are:

• Full time students, student nurses,apprentices and young people on Youth Training Schemes
• Apprentices earnings less than £256 per week
• People resident in hospital or care/nursing homes
• People who are severely mentally impaired
• 18 year olds who are at school or have just left school
• care workers who are paid no more than £44 per week
• people caring for someone who they live with (excluding their partner or own children) and who is in receipt of a qualifying benefit, and the care is provided for at least 35 hours per week
• people who belong to a religious community
• people in prison

Help for People with disabilities

If you, or someone who lives with you, have a disability and need an extra room or bathroom to meet your needs, or use a wheelchair indoors, you may qualify for a reduction in your bill.

This reduction can also apply to a property in valuation band A, provided all other qualifying conditions are met.

Help for people on a low income

You may be able to get help with your Council Tax depending on your income and circumstances.

To apply for Council Tax Reduction, please contact your local office or the Revenues office on 01259 450000, or email benefits@clacks.gov.uk or counciltax@clacks.gov.uk.

You should apply immediately for an application form as Council Tax Reduction is only awarded from the Monday following the day we receive your application form.

Please note that you will not receive a separate notification of this reduction.

Should you require a detailed breakdown of how the reduction was calculated, please use the contact details above.