How to Apply for Care Leaver Council Tax Exemption in England

Claim Your Statutory Discounts First

Before you apply for care leaver relief, the council expects you to have the standard discounts already in place. Section 13A(1)(c) discretionary relief sits at the bottom of the calculation — it tops up whatever gap remains after everything else has been applied.

If you live alone, apply for the 25% Single Person Discount under Section 11 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. If your household income is low, apply for Council Tax Reduction (also called Local Council Tax Support) through your billing council's benefits team. These are separate applications from the care leaver discount, and most councils will reject your Section 13A claim if you haven't submitted them first.

Find the Right Application Route

Not every council handles care leaver claims the same way. Some have dedicated online portals — Manchester and Coventry, for example, run specific "Care Leaver Council Tax Discount" web forms. Others use a generic "Section 13A Discretionary Reduction" form that covers all hardship cases.

If your council only offers a generic form, write "Care Leaver Class Reduction Claim" at the top. Without that label, the revenues team may route your application into the standard hardship assessment queue, where it gets assessed on income and expenses rather than your care-leaving status.

A third route exists in some areas: your Personal Adviser or Leaving Care team may submit verification or an application to the revenues department on your behalf. Bristol provides forms through the Personal Adviser or Revenues Service, and the application must be completed by the care leaver or an authorized representative. In Cornwall, your PA or a local support service may help. Ask your PA which route your council uses before you start filling in paperwork.

What to Include in Your Application

Every council needs proof that you qualify. The core documents are:

• Care status certificate or PA letter — a letter from your originating local authority's Children's Services confirming your care-leaver category and dates. If you're applying as a Former Relevant Child, it should confirm at least 13 weeks in care (continuous or not) after age 14, including time on or after age 16. Some council policies also cover Qualifying Care Leavers.
• Identity document — birth certificate, passport, or provisional driving licence
• Proof of address and tenancy — your Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement or the council tax demand note showing your name as the liable person
• Income evidence (if Council Tax Reduction is also being claimed) — your Universal Credit award notice or other benefit statements

If you don't have a birth certificate or passport, your PA can send a formal confirmation letter directly from the Corporate Parenting team to the revenues office. Revenue officers only need legal confirmation of your care-leaving status, age, and liability dates — they don't need your care history details.

Submit and Get a Receipt

Send your application through whichever channel the council specifies — online portal, email, or post. Then do three things immediately:

1. Save or screenshot your submission confirmation and any reference number
2. Request a written acknowledgement of receipt from the revenues team
3. Ask for a temporary hold on recovery action while your claim is being processed

That recovery hold matters. Without it, the council's automated billing system keeps running — it doesn't know your application exists. If processing takes longer than a few weeks, the system generates reminder letters, final notices, and eventually a court summons, all while your genuine claim sits in someone's inbox.

Chase if You Haven't Heard Back

Most councils aim to process applications within 14 to 28 working days, but there's no national statutory deadline. To start the statutory appeal route, send the billing authority a written notice explaining why you are aggrieved. Under Section 16(7) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, you can appeal if the council notifies you that it considers the grievance unfounded or has taken steps to deal with it and you remain aggrieved, or if two months pass without such notice. If you remain aggrieved after a response, appeal within two months of it; if there is no response within two months, appeal within four months from the date you served the written notice.

Before escalating to a tribunal, send a written follow-up to the revenues team referencing your submission date and reference number. Copy in your Personal Adviser. If you still hear nothing after two months, the full step-by-step guide walks you through the formal appeal process, including the written grievance and VTE submission.

What the Decision Looks Like

When the council approves your claim, you'll receive a revised council tax bill showing the Section 13A reduction. The balance may be reduced to £0 if the local policy awards full relief. If the council refuses, the decision letter must explain why and set out your appeal rights.

Check the revised bill carefully. The Section 13A reduction should appear as the final deduction after your Single Person Discount and any Council Tax Reduction. If the arithmetic doesn't add up, or the relief doesn't cover the full residual amount, contact the revenues team with your calculation query before the appeal deadline passes.

The Care Leaver Council Tax Claim System includes ready-to-use worksheets that walk through the exact calculation sequence — gross liability, statutory discounts, CTR, then Section 13A — so you can verify the council's figures against your own.

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