Council Tax Support for Lone Parents in East Riding of Yorkshire

How Lone Parents Fit the Income Bands

East Riding of Yorkshire's Council Tax Support scheme has specific income band grids for families with children. As a lone parent, you're assessed on the family grids — "Family with One Dependent Child" or "Family with Two or More Dependent Children" — not the single person grid, even though you may be the only adult in the household.

The thresholds are higher for families than for single adults, reflecting the additional costs of raising children. For a family with one child in 2026/27:

• Passported benefits: 80% reduction
• £0–£221.09 per week: 70%
• £221.10–£274.03: 60%
• £274.04–£326.97: 50%
• £326.98–£379.91: 25%
• £379.92 or more: 0%

These thresholds are more generous than the single-person bands, where the 70% band cuts off at £96.53. A lone parent earning £200 a week would be in Band 1 at 70%, while a single person at the same income would be in Band 3 at 50%.

The Single Person Discount

If you're the only adult in the household (no one else aged 18+ lives with you, or anyone who does is disregarded — for example, a full-time student), you also qualify for the standard 25% Single Person Discount. This is separate from Council Tax Support and is subtracted from your bill first, before the income band reduction is applied.

The combined effect is significant. Take a Band A property at £1,309.65 per year. After the 25% Single Person Discount, the eligible liability drops to about £982. A 70% Council Tax Support award on that amount gives roughly £687 of support, leaving about £295 to pay for the year.

Band Drift and Lone Parents

East Riding's income bands were uprated by 3.8% for 2026/27, while Universal Credit standard allowances rose by 6.1%. That gap — band drift — hits some lone parents harder than others.

In the research for this guide, single parents with two or fewer children were in the lower-vulnerability group for band drift. A household near a band threshold can still move bands if its countable income rises. If your award dropped this April and your income hasn't actually changed in real terms, check whether band drift explains the change.

Child Benefit and Childcare Disregards

Child Benefit is fully disregarded when calculating Council Tax Support — it doesn't count as income and won't affect your band placement. Eligible childcare costs paid to registered providers can also be deducted from your net earnings up to scheme limits, which may bring your assessed income down into a lower band.

If you're on Universal Credit, the UC childcare element follows its own rules, but the council disregards the UC housing element and certain disability-related elements when assessing your income for Council Tax Support purposes.

Applying as a Lone Parent

The application process is the same for all working-age residents — through eastriding.gov.uk/mycounciltax or by contacting the council. You'll need proof of income, bank statements, and evidence of your children's ages. If a child turns 18 and stays in the household, they become a non-dependant and a deduction of £10 or £25 per week applies.

The East Riding Council Tax Reduction guide covers the full income band tables for all household types, with worked examples showing the calculation for a lone parent with one child.

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