Care Leaver Council Tax When Moving to a Different Council Area

Relief Doesn't Travel with You

Your care leaver council tax discount is granted by a specific billing authority under its own Section 13A(1)(c) policy. When you move to a new council area, that discount doesn't transfer. You start from scratch with the new council — new liability account, new application, new evidence check.

The problem is that councils don't talk to each other automatically. Your old council's revenues department doesn't notify your new one that you're a care leaver. And the new council has no obligation to recognise what the previous one granted.

Three Ways Councils Handle Incoming Care Leavers

How your new council responds depends on its adopted policy:

Open/reciprocal policies: The billing authority grants Section 13A relief to any care leaver meeting the age and care history criteria, regardless of which local authority originally looked after them. Manchester operates this way, supported by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) protocol that covers reciprocal relief across the Greater Manchester boroughs. If you move to Manchester from anywhere in England and you meet the qualifying criteria, you can apply for the discount.

Strict origin exclusion: The billing authority only grants its care leaver discount to people who were formerly looked after by that specific council. Birmingham, Bristol, and Cornwall all operate this model. If you were in care in Leeds and move to Bristol, Bristol's Section 13A policy doesn't cover you — their policy is written for Bristol care leavers only.

No formal policy: A small number of councils haven't adopted a class-based care leaver policy at all. In these areas, you'd need to apply for individual discretionary relief under Section 13A(1)(c), which is assessed on financial hardship grounds rather than care-leaving status.

What to Do When the New Council Says No

If the new billing authority restricts its policy to its own care leavers, ask the originating authority — the council that looked after you as a child — what leaving-care support is available. Section 23C requires the responsible authority to take reasonable steps to keep in touch with a Former Relevant Child even if they move out of its area. Core Section 23C duties generally last until age 21, with specified education or training duties continuing in some cases; from age 21 until you reach 25, a former relevant child can request further advice and support under Section 23CZB. This does not make the originating authority liable for your council tax.

Contact your Personal Adviser or the originating authority's Leaving Care team and ask whether they can submit a formal funding requisition to the Leaving Care Manager. The originating authority's social services department can either:

• Pay the new council's tax bill directly from social care budgets
• Reimburse you for council tax payments you've already made

This inter-council reimbursement route is slower and less predictable than a direct Section 13A discount, but it exists specifically for this situation. Get the request in writing and follow up if you don't hear back within two weeks — council tax bills accumulate monthly, and delays turn into arrears.

The Moving Checklist

Before you move:

1. Ask your PA to check the destination council's care leaver policy — does it cover incoming care leavers or only its own?
2. If the new council operates a reciprocal policy, prepare your application documents (PA letter, ID, tenancy proof) so you can submit the day you register at the new address
3. If the new council excludes incoming care leavers, get your PA to start the reimbursement request with the originating authority before you move — the funding approval takes time
4. Close your old council tax account formally and confirm any Section 13A award is terminated. Relief is non-transferable, and an overlapping claim can create billing confusion

After you arrive, register for council tax at the new address immediately. If you are the liable resident under the Section 6 hierarchy, liability generally starts from the date you occupy the property; registering later does not change that date. The sooner you register, the sooner you can submit your Section 13A application or ask about a support arrangement.

The Care Leaver Council Tax Claim System includes a cross-boundary move tracker and the inter-council reimbursement protocol, so both your PA and the receiving council know exactly what's required at each step.

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