Brent Council Tax Reduction for Carers and Unpaid Carers

The Carer Disregard: How It Reduces Your Bill

If you're an unpaid carer living in someone's home and providing at least 35 hours of care per week, you may be completely disregarded for council tax purposes. This is a statutory provision — it applies in Brent and every other billing authority in England.

The rules are specific. The carer disregard applies when:

• You provide care for at least 35 hours per week
• The person you care for is severely disabled (they must receive the higher rate of Attendance Allowance, the higher or middle rate of DLA care component, or the daily living component of PIP)
• The person you care for is not your spouse, partner, or child under 18
• You live in the same property as the person you care for

When a carer is disregarded, they don't count as an adult occupant. If the only other adult in the property is the person being cared for (who may themselves be disregarded under the Severe Mental Impairment rule), the property could qualify for the 25% Single Person Discount or even a complete exemption.

How This Interacts With CTR

The carer disregard reduces the council tax bill before CTR is calculated. Here's the sequence:

1. Apply the carer disregard (and any other disregards)
2. Apply statutory discounts (Single Person Discount if applicable)
3. Calculate the net council tax liability
4. Apply CTR as a percentage of that net liability

So the carer disregard doesn't directly change your CTR band or percentage — it changes the base amount that CTR is calculated against. A smaller base bill means a smaller 35% minimum payment.

If You're a Carer Claiming CTR

Many unpaid carers are themselves on low incomes and eligible for CTR in their own right. Carer's Allowance is £86.45 per week in 2026/27, but Brent excludes DWP and HMRC benefits from its working-age income-band calculation. Earnings still count.

If your only income is Carer's Allowance, and you have no other countable income, you fall into Band 1 (£0–£80), giving you a 65% reduction. Combined with your partner's earnings, your band placement could vary.

If you also receive disability benefits yourself — say PIP alongside Carer's Allowance — both benefits are excluded from the income-band calculation. Any countable earnings still count.

Adult Children Caring for Parents

A common scenario in Brent: an adult child lives with an elderly or disabled parent and provides full-time care. The carer disregard can apply here, provided the 35-hour and qualifying-benefit conditions are met.

This matters because adult children living at home are normally treated as non-dependants, triggering a flat £8 (out of work) or £20 (in work) weekly deduction from the parent's CTR award. The carer disregard affects adult-occupant discount calculations; confirm with Brent whether a CTR non-dependant deduction still applies before assuming it is removed.

Check both calculations with Brent, as the discount and CTR rules affect different parts of the bill.

Carers Who Don't Meet the 35-Hour Threshold

If you provide substantial care but fall below the 35 hours per week threshold, the statutory carer disregard won't apply. You'd be counted as a normal adult occupant for council tax purposes.

However, you may still benefit from:

• CTR itself — if your income is low, you qualify for a reduction regardless of your caring role
• The hardship fund — if caring responsibilities limit your ability to work, this affects your financial position and strengthens a hardship application
• Carer's Allowance — worth checking your eligibility even if you're not sure you meet the 35-hour threshold for the council tax disregard

The 35-hour requirement for the council tax disregard mirrors the threshold for Carer's Allowance. If you're receiving Carer's Allowance, you've already demonstrated the 35-hour commitment.

How to Apply for the Disregard

The carer disregard isn't part of the CTR application — it's a separate request to Brent Council's council tax team. You'll need to provide:

• Evidence that you live at the property
• Proof that the person you care for receives a qualifying disability benefit
• Confirmation of your caring role (a Carer's Allowance award letter is strong evidence, but the disregard doesn't require you to be receiving Carer's Allowance — it has its own criteria)

Contact Brent Council's Revenues and Benefits service to request the disregard. It can be applied alongside any CTR claim.

Our Brent Council Tax Reduction guide explains how to combine the carer disregard with CTR and other statutory discounts for maximum benefit, including worked examples for common caring household arrangements.

For free advice on benefits and support for carers, contact Citizens Advice Brent on 0808 278 7898 or Carers UK on 0808 808 7777.

See more England guides →