Single Person Discount

The full Council Tax bill assumes that there are two adults living in your home. If only one adult, aged 18 or over, lives in a dwelling as their main home, the Council Tax bill will be reduced by 25%.

This is called a Single Person Discount.

Temporary absences (i.e. a holiday or working away) would not qualify for this reduction.

To apply for a single person discount, you will need to use our online system. Please have your Council Tax account number to hand; you can find this on your bill.

Apply for a Single Person Discount

Registering is quick and easy, and you will only need to register once. Once you have registered, you will be able to log in and view or edit your Council Tax account at any time.

If you wish to claim a single person discount because the second occupier has passed away, please see What to do if a resident has died, which lists all the information we need from you via email.


What else do I need to know?

If your bill indicates that a single person discount has been allowed, you must tell the Council Tax team of any change in your circumstances which may affect your entitlement within 21 days. If you fail to do so, a penalty of £70 may be imposed.

Your bill will not increase if there are more than two adults living in the property.

Applications for discounts will be verified and subject to periodic review. The Council will take steps to verify information given in support of any claim, discount or exemption by matching with data held elsewhere within the authority or with other external bodies involved in the administration of public funds. We may also use third party organisations to carry out such checks using financial and credit referencing information. The authority also work with Devon Audit Partnership to detect fraudulent applications and awards.

It is an offence to fraudulently claim a discount that you are not entitled to.

This is a general guide to Council Tax and is not a substitute for the relevant statutes and regulations.