Lewisham Single Person Discount and Lone Parent Council Tax Help

The 25% Single Person Discount

If you're the only adult aged 18 or over living at your property in Lewisham, you qualify for a 25% reduction on your council tax bill. Children under 18 don't count. Neither do full-time students, people who are severely mentally impaired, or live-in carers who meet the disregard criteria.

For a Band D property in 2026/27 (total £2,237.33), the discount saves £559.33 per year — bringing the annual bill down to £1,678.00 before any further reductions.

Apply through the MyLewisham portal. The council may verify your claim by checking the electoral register, contacting your landlord, or in some cases visiting the property.

How It Stacks With Council Tax Reduction

The Single Person Discount is applied first, reducing your base liability. Then Council Tax Reduction is calculated on the already-discounted amount. This stacking matters because Lewisham's 75% CTR cap applies to the net liability after discounts.

A single person in a Band D property:

• Gross liability: £2,237.33 per year (£42.91 per week)
• After 25% Single Person Discount: £1,678.00 per year (£32.18 per week)
• Maximum CTR (75% of net): £1,258.50 per year (£24.14 per week)
• Remaining annual bill: £419.50 (£8.04 per week)

Without the Single Person Discount, the maximum CTR would be 75% of the full £2,237.33, leaving a higher residual amount. Getting the discount claimed before or alongside your CTR application ensures the smallest possible minimum payment.

Lone Parent Extras in the Means Test

Lone parents get a more generous earnings disregard in the CTR calculation: £25 per week compared to £5 for a single claimant without children. That £25 of weekly earnings is ignored entirely before the council applies the 20% income taper.

The applicable amount — the needs baseline your income is compared against — also includes premiums for dependent children. More children generally means a higher applicable amount, which means more of your income falls below the threshold and less taper reduction hits your CTR award.

Child Benefit and Child Maintenance are not counted as income in the CTR means test. Universal Credit child elements are treated differently — they feed into the council's income assessment through the UC breakdown.

Losing the Discount

If another adult moves in — a partner, a friend, an adult child who's finished education — you're legally required to report the change within 21 days. Continuing to claim the Single Person Discount when you don't qualify is a council tax offence. Lewisham runs periodic reviews using credit reference data and the electoral register to detect undeclared household changes.

If you lose the discount but your income is still low, your CTR entitlement may actually increase because the council reassesses your means test with the higher base liability.

The Lewisham Council Tax Reduction guide includes step-by-step instructions for applying for the Single Person Discount alongside CTR, plus the income calculation worksheet that shows exactly how the lone parent earnings disregard affects your award.

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