Council tax discounts for carers

Cornishmaid6373

after reading loads of posts, gov website, getting advice from carers uk I believe that because my mother, who has Parkinson’s dementia and is severely mentally impaired, lives with me and my husband, and I am her full time carer (24/7 as she cannot walk, talk, feed herself, or do anything) then we are entitled to 25%discount on our council tax. FYI , my husband works full time, I look after mum full time and receive carers allowance, mum is SMI and gets attendance allowance. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s dementia in 2022 and that’s when she got attendance allowance and I got carers allowance. However she became SMI in summer 2024 after a series of strokes and when her dementia progressed. She also has a blue badge.
looking at the info I believe I am disregarded as her carer (as she receives attendance allowance & I care for her over 35hours a week and we live in same house, she, mother, is disregarded as she is smi, so that only leaves my husband who is the only one that is eligible to pay council tax meaning that a 25% discount can be applied. Eg, one eligible, one disregarded smi, one disregarded carer.

However Cornwall council say no discount. I asked for the smi form & carers form and was refused as it would be ‘a waste of time’, I asked to speak to a manager but was refused as she (woman on council tax office who I was talking to) said she was ‘expert’, so I asked to make a formal complaint and then she told me to ‘go on line’. Then she said she could send the carer form but she wasn’t sending smi form as we wouldn’t qualify. I tried to explain I needed both but she would not listen.
I have complained on line but want to know am I right in my thinking or am I wrong?

I looked at this which simplifies it so I believed I’m right but for two years I’ve been told no!

Any response and thoughts would be good as I’m not holding out much hope for my complaint to Cornwall council!

Ref44

I think you'll find that a carer for council tax discount purposes can't be a family member.

sheramber

Is the form available on their website?

IOWJJBTM2025

Just looked to compare our local Isle of Wight Council to compare to Cornwall Council. Cornwall Council does not have a deal of info from what I could find.

Our local Council states: -

Carers

They must live with the person they are caring for and care for them for at least 35 hours a week on average. The person cared for must be entitled to one of the following state benefits

• Attendance Allowance
• the highest or middle rate of the care component of a disability living allowance or PIP
• the appropriately increased rate of disablement pension
• an increase in a constant attendance allowance

This discount is not applicable to people caring for someone they live with as a married or unmarried couple (including same-sex couples and civil partners), or a parent caring for a child under 18.

So if you are caring for your partner it does not count, but in your case you are caring for your mother so would be applicable.

Only question I would add - are there any other people living in the house that are over 18?

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997303#Comment_81997303

That is incorrect. It is only when a spouse is involved that rule applies.

I know for a fact that a Mother or Father caring for an adult son or daughter with SMI, can be disregarded for council tax purposes. In fact they both can if they both spend more than 35 hours a week caring.

So I can not see any reason why the OP can not be disregarded, as the Mother is clearly SMI and getting attendance allowance. She will have to insist on getting the SMI form to fill in, probably endorsed by a GP.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997440#Comment_81997440

and if you scroll down there is a link to claim for each council.

Cornishmaid6373

there is another adult as I said, my husband, and as a matter of fact when he is here at weekends and during the night he also shares the care of my mother and that is well over 35 hours a week on top of his job of 40+ hours a week. So if he is classed as a carer then we both would be disregarded and so would my mother for being smi !

Cornwall council does have info on line about discount for smi & carers but they are not linked which I think is the problem, they don’t seem to understand that they need to be looked at altogether.

Cornishmaid6373

the forms are available to fill in on line but you can ask them to send physical copies as I did as I need to take the smi form to the doctor to be validated. I do not have a computer or a printer (bit of a dinosaur 😬) I asked for them to send the forms but they refused to send the smi form as they said it was a waste of their time & effort as I didn’t qualify!!!!!!!

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997527#Comment_81997527

Do you have a local library who will print off documents for you?

Our local library does it.

Or a friend with a printer?

Cornishmaid6373

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997440#Comment_81997440

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997596#Comment_81997596

The problem is the forms are not available to download online, you can fill them in on line but cannot download them, you have to request them to be sent to you or posted to you and they refused!!!! So I suppose I will have to wait to get a reply to my complaint. It’s all a bit ridiculous. I know it’s complicated and that’s why I just took their word for it a couple of years ago but now with all the Martin Lewis stuff explaining I know (well think I know) that we are entitled to it! As for friends very few as I cannot leave my mother day or night unless my husband looks after her. I’m not complaining as I promised not to put her in care and although it’s hard it’s also a privilege to take care of her for the last few years of her life. I will get my life back one day.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997616#Comment_81997616

Speak to your local councillor.