Ealing Council Tax Reduction Protected Category: Who Qualifies for 100%

What Protected Status Means for Your Bill

Ealing's working-age Council Tax Reduction scheme divides applicants into two categories: protected and non-protected. The distinction controls the maximum support you can receive.

Non-protected households face a mandatory 20% minimum payment. Even at the lowest income band, they still pay 20% of their council tax. Protected households have no minimum — at Band 1, they can receive a 100% reduction and pay nothing at all.

Across every income band, protected applicants pay less. At Band 4 (weekly income £205.59–£231.29), protected households contribute 50% while non-protected contribute 60%. At Band 7, protected households still get 20% off while non-protected get just 10%. The gap compounds into real money over a full council tax year.

The Full List of Protected Qualifying Criteria

You qualify for protected status if you or your partner meet any one of these:

Disability benefits:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — either the daily living or mobility component
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) — any component
• Attendance Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

Universal Credit elements:

• Limited Capability for Work (LCW) element
• Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element
• Disabled child element
• Carer element

Carer's Allowance:

• Receiving Carer's Allowance, or having underlying entitlement to it (you meet the conditions but the payment is overlapped by another benefit)

Family:

• Single parent with a dependent child under five years old

Care leavers:

• Care leavers under 25 who were looked after by Ealing Council

Only one qualifying condition is needed. If your partner receives PIP but you don't, the whole household still qualifies for protected status.

The Non-Dependant Deduction Bonus

Protected status brings a second, often-overlooked advantage. Normally, if other adults live in your home (grown-up children, relatives, friends who aren't your partner), their income triggers a non-dependant deduction — £8.35, £15.42, or £23.13 per week deducted from your CTR, depending on what they earn.

But if you or your partner receives PIP or DLA, non-dependant deductions are completely waived. A disabled claimant whose working adult child earns £300/week — which would normally cost £23.13/week in deductions — pays nothing extra. This exemption can save over £1,200 across a full council tax year.

How to Prove Protected Status

Ealing Council verifies protected status through the evidence you submit with your application. For PIP, DLA, or Carer's Allowance, upload your latest DWP award letter showing the benefit and component. For UC elements, upload your full online UC statement — the one that breaks down every element, not the payment summary.

If you've recently been awarded PIP or had an LCWRA element added to your UC, report the change to Ealing Council immediately through the "Report a change in circumstances" form in My Account. The council will reassess your CTR and protected status based on the updated information.

When Protected Status Ends

Protected status isn't permanent. It ends when the qualifying condition ends. If your child turns five and you don't receive a disability benefit or Carer's Allowance, you move to non-protected. If PIP is stopped after a review, protected status goes with it.

When this happens, the council reassesses your CTR at the non-protected rates and your bill increases. Knowing this is coming lets you plan — and if you think the change is wrong (a PIP decision you're appealing, for example), request a review of the CTR decision within one month.

The Ealing Council Tax Reduction guide maps every protected qualifying condition against the income bands so you can see exactly what your household should receive.

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