Plymouth Council Tax Reduction for Disabled Residents and Carers

Disability Benefits Are Fully Disregarded

Plymouth's Council Tax Support scheme fully excludes the following from your net weekly income calculation:

• Personal Independence Payment (both Daily Living and Mobility components)
• Disability Living Allowance (all rates)
• Carer's Allowance
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• ESA Work-Related Activity Component and Support Component

This is the single most important rule disabled residents need to know. These benefits do not count towards the income that determines your band placement. If your only income is PIP and Income-Related ESA, your assessed income is effectively zero — placing you in Band 1 for the maximum 80% discount.

The most common mistake on applications: declaring PIP or DLA as income. The council's form asks about all income sources, and people naturally include their disability benefits. While the council should apply the disregards automatically, an error in the initial assessment could place you in a higher band than you belong in. Know which of your income streams are exempt before you apply.

Non-Dependant Deduction Waivers

Plymouth applies a flat £4.90 weekly deduction from your CTS award for each non-dependant adult living in your household — an adult child, sibling, or lodger who isn't your partner and isn't paying commercial rent.

But this deduction is waived entirely if you or your partner receive:

• PIP Daily Living Component
• DLA Care Component at the middle or highest rate
• Attendance Allowance

This matters. In households where a disabled claimant lives with adult children, the non-dependant deduction could otherwise reduce their CTS by £4.90 per week per person — £255 a year for each additional adult. The waiver prevents disabled households from being penalised for having family support nearby.

Carers and Council Tax Support

If you receive Carer's Allowance, it's fully disregarded from Plymouth's income assessment — just like PIP and DLA. This means your caring income doesn't push you into a higher band.

If you're a carer and another adult lives in the property, check whether Plymouth's separate Single Person Discount rules treat that person as disregarded. Any eligible personal discount is applied before Council Tax Support is calculated.

The Disabled Band Reduction Scheme

Separate from Council Tax Support, Plymouth offers a Disabled Band Reduction if your property has been adapted for a disabled resident. This charges your property at one band below its actual rating — so a Band D property is billed at Band C rates, and Band A properties get an approximate 17% reduction.

To qualify, the property must have:

• An additional bathroom or kitchen required for the disabled person's needs
• A room used primarily for medical treatment
• Floor space adapted for indoor wheelchair use

The Disabled Band Reduction is applied before Council Tax Support is calculated, so it reduces the base liability that CTS then discounts. Combined with an 80% CTS award and the single person discount, the total reduction can be substantial.

The Capital Cliff-Edge for Disabled Households

Here's where Plymouth's scheme creates a harsh outcome. The £6,000 capital limit applies to disabled claimants just as strictly as anyone else. A disabled person on Income-Related ESA with zero assessed income who holds £6,005 in savings gets zero Council Tax Support and pays their full bill.

PIP itself isn't counted as income, but the money sitting in your bank account from PIP payments is counted as capital. If you've been saving PIP payments over time and your balance approaches £6,000, you risk losing all Council Tax Support.

The Plymouth Council Tax Reduction Guide includes a specific section for disabled residents and carers — covering every disregard, the non-dependant waiver conditions, and how to combine the Disabled Band Reduction with CTS for the maximum possible discount.

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