If you are already receiving a discount and another adult moves into the household, you must tell us about your change in circumstances within 21 days with the date of the change. If you do not let us know, you may receive an amended bill and a £70 penalty charge.
If you're the only person over 18 in your home, you may be entitled to a 25% reduction on your Council Tax.
This discount can only apply to your main home and not any second homes.
You can apply for a 25% discount if:
- you're the only person over 18 in your home
- you have already registered with us to pay Council Tax
How to apply
To apply for a single person discount, please complete our form. You’ll need to know your Council Tax account number.
For Bournemouth residents:
For Christchurch residents:
For Poole residents:
This discount can only be applied at a property that is the sole or main residence of one person. If you have only one address, that is your sole residence.
If you have more than one address, please do not apply for this discount. Contact us so that we can decide your main residence for Council Tax purposes and whether the discount can be applied.
It’s the responsibility of the Council Tax payer to apply for a discount or exemption. This gives us the opportunity to verify the claim through an inspection, if necessary.
Backdated claims
Any request for a single person discount will start from the date of the request, or the date you were the sole adult resident, providing you’ve just received your first bill for your property.
Unless you can provide a very good reason for failing to apply at the right time and provide evidence to support your claim throughout the backdated period, your request may not be backdated. Evidence that might be acceptable would be copies of claims for various state benefits which involve declaring the household status.
Temporary absences of a person because of working away from home or taking extended holidays are not usually acceptable for a single person discount claim.
Discounts and exemptions are regularly reviewed to confirm that the person receiving it is still entitled to it. If you do receive a review, make sure you respond as failure to do so may lead to the discount being cancelled and receiving a penalty.
Please contact us if you need any help with completing the application form.