Redbridge Council Tax Reduction for Disabled Residents and Carers

Scheme 1: The Protected Tier

If you or your partner receives any of these benefits, you qualify for Scheme 1 — the highest level of Council Tax Reduction in Redbridge:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — either daily living or mobility component
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) — any rate of care or mobility
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

Scheme 1 gives you two major advantages over every other tier. First, the maximum reduction is 73% of your Council Tax liability for 2026/27 — the highest available to any working-age claimant. Second, and this is the one that makes the biggest practical difference: no non-dependant deductions apply at all.

Under Schemes 2 through 5, every other adult in your home triggers a weekly deduction of £10.20 or £20.40 from your award. Under Scheme 1, those deductions are zeroed out completely, regardless of how many adults live with you or what they earn.

How Disability Benefits Interact with Income Assessment

PIP, DLA, and Attendance Allowance are fully disregarded when the council assesses your income. They don't count toward the earnings thresholds, they don't affect your scheme tier beyond qualifying you for Scheme 1, and they don't get treated as income for means-testing purposes.

This means a Scheme 1 claimant can have PIP plus UC plus a small part-time wage and still receive the 73% maximum, as long as their capital stays under £16,000. The disability benefit itself never reduces the award.

War Disablement Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments are also disregarded from income.

Carer's Allowance and Council Tax Reduction

Carer's Allowance affects CTR in two ways:

As a qualifying benefit: Carer's Allowance on its own does not qualify you for Scheme 1 — that tier requires PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance, or Armed Forces Independence Payment. A carer who doesn't personally receive one of those disability benefits would be assessed under Schemes 2-5 based on their other circumstances.

As a non-dependant exemption: If a non-dependant adult in your household receives Carer's Allowance, their non-dependant deduction is £0 under any scheme. This protects households where an adult child or relative provides care — the council doesn't penalise their presence.

Disability Band Reduction: A Separate Scheme

Don't confuse Council Tax Reduction (the income-based scheme) with the Disability Band Reduction. The band reduction is a completely different mechanism: if your property has been adapted for a disabled resident (extra room, wider doorways, adapted bathroom), you can apply to have your Council Tax band lowered by one level. A Band D property would be charged at Band C rates.

The band reduction operates independently of CTR — you can claim both. A Scheme 1 claimant with a disability band reduction gets 73% off an already-reduced band charge, which stacks significantly.

Applying With a Disability

The application process is the same for everyone — online through eforms.redbridge.gov.uk. But if navigating the portal is difficult due to your condition, Redbridge's engagement hubs at Ilford (Jubilee Gardens, IG1 2HX) and Gants Hill (Redbridge Institute, Gaysham Avenue, IG2 6TD) offer assisted digital services. Citizens Advice Redbridge also helps with form-filling by appointment.

For the full Scheme 1 breakdown — including how to present your disability benefit evidence, capital tariff calculations, and the interaction between Council Tax Reduction and other disabled person's reliefs — our Redbridge Council Tax Reduction guide covers every Scheme 1 scenario with worked examples.

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