Single Occupancy Discount for council tax

You may be able to get a 25% discount on your council tax bill if you are the only adult living in a property.

If you are already registered with us at a York address you can complete the Single Occupancy Discount form.

Please only use this form if the change will occur in less than 4 weeks time, or if it has already occurred within the last 3 months. Otherwise, contact the Council Tax Team.

Single Occupancy Discount

To complete this form you will need:

the address and the postcode of the relevant property
the date you became the sole occupant
your phone number or email address
if you wish to set up a Direct Debit you will also need your bank details

To qualify for a discount you must already have registered with us to let us know that you reside in the York area.

If you have not yet told us about a change of address you can tell us about a move within the York area to register with us and apply for the discount at the same time.

Single Occupancy Discount eligibility

Eligibility is dependent on the nature of your occupation at an address.

an adult occupant, aged 18 or over, may be eligible if the property is their main residence where they keep the majority of their possessions
in the case of couples the marital home would be considered to be the sole or main residence even if one of the partners lives or works elsewhere, and therefore Single Occupancy Discount would not be available
you cannot claim Single Occupancy Discount at any second (or further) property owned in addition to a main residence

We undertake checks to make sure our council tax records are up to date and that discounts are being applied correctly by carrying out regular Single Occupancy Discount reviews.

If you are applying for this discount because you live with students, you need to apply for a student discount or exemption instead, to make sure you give us all the necessary details required.

Cancel Single Occupancy Discount

If you no longer qualify for a Single Occupancy Discount you must tell us as soon as possible. Changes of circumstance which might impact on your eligibility could include:

a new occupant moving in to the property
another occupant in your property reaching 18 years of age
a significant period during which the property is not occupied

Please only use this form if the change will occur in less than 4 weeks time, or if it has already occurred within the last 3 months. Otherwise, contact the Council Tax Team.

Single Occupancy Discount

To complete this form you will need:

your full name and the address of the property for which council tax is paid
your contact telephone number and email address
the date you ceased to be the only person over 18 living at the property
your council tax reference number (starts with 88)
if you wish to set up a Direct Debit you will also need your bank details

Your council tax reference number is shown at the top right hand side of your bill. If you do not have this you can View your council tax account online.

Change from single to joint occupancy

If someone over the age of 18 has moved into the property with you and you wish to become jointly liable for council tax with the new occupant:

use the move within York area form
provide details of all parties who you want to be named on your new bill when completing the form
a new account will be created for the named liable parties

People who are exempt

Some people are exempt from council tax but may live with someone who does have to pay. People who are exempt include:

people who are severely mentally impaired
full-time students
many carers
members of certain religious communities

Alternatively, there may be an individual named on your bill who is currently not residing at the property, such as:

resident hospital patients
prisoners

If you are jointly liable with any of these people you won't qualify for Single Occupancy Discount but may still qualify for a 25% discount. Please contact the Council Tax Team to tell us if this is the case.

Single Occupancy Discount reviews

We undertake regular reviews to make sure our council tax records are up to date; our Single Occupancy Discount reviews check which customers should continue to get a discount.