Council Tax Reduction for Disabled People and Carers in East Riding

Income Disregards for Disabled Claimants

East Riding of Yorkshire's Council Tax Support scheme disregards several disability-related benefits entirely when calculating your net weekly income:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — both daily living and mobility components
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) — all components
• Attendance Allowance
• War Disablement Pensions and War Widow(er) Pensions

These benefits don't count as income for Council Tax Support purposes, so receiving PIP or DLA won't push you into a higher income band.

The LCWRA and Carer Element Disregards

If you receive Universal Credit, the council also disregards:

• The Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element — up to the actual amount awarded
• The Carer Element — up to the actual amount awarded
• The Disabled Child Element — up to the actual amount awarded

These disregards are specific to East Riding's local scheme and can make a substantial difference. A single disabled adult receiving UC with the LCWRA element (£416.19 per month in 2026/27) and the Carer Element (£198.31) would see both amounts removed from their countable income. After disregards, their assessed weekly income could fall into Band 1, which gives a 70% reduction. The 80% rate is for claimants receiving a qualifying passported benefit, not for income below a separate threshold.

The Disabled Band Reduction Scheme

Separate from Council Tax Support, the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme reduces your council tax band by one level if your home has been adapted for a disabled person. The property needs to have an essential feature like a room (other than a kitchen, bathroom or toilet) used predominantly by the disabled person, an additional bathroom or kitchen, or sufficient floor space for wheelchair use inside.

This scheme is national — it applies across England, not just East Riding. A Band D property would be charged at Band C rates, a Band C at Band B, and a Band A property gets a discount equivalent to one-sixth of the Band D charge. You apply through the council's revenues team, and the reduction runs alongside any Council Tax Support you receive.

Carer Discounts and Disregards

Carers in East Riding can benefit in several ways:

• Carer disregard for council tax discount purposes — if you live with someone you care for and provide at least 35 hours of care per week, you may be "disregarded" for council tax purposes. This means you don't count as an adult in the property for the purposes of the Single Person Discount — so the person you care for could qualify for the 25% discount even though you live there.
• UC Carer Element disregard — as above, the Carer Element within Universal Credit is disregarded from your income when East Riding calculates your Council Tax Support.

The carer disregard requires that you're caring for someone who receives certain disability benefits (PIP daily living, DLA middle/higher rate care, or Attendance Allowance) and that you're not the partner of the person you care for.

Applying for Disability-Related Reductions

For the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme, apply through East Riding's revenues team. For Council Tax Support with disability disregards, the standard online application at eastriding.gov.uk/mycounciltax covers it — the council identifies the disregards from your benefit evidence.

If you think a disregard hasn't been applied correctly, email the adjudication unit at [email protected] with your UC breakdown showing the elements you believe should be disregarded.

The East Riding Council Tax Reduction guide includes a worked example for a disabled claimant receiving UC with LCWRA and Carer elements, showing exactly how the disregards affect the income band calculation.

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