Wandsworth Council Tax Single Person Discount and Lone Parent Reduction

The 25% Single Person Discount

If you are the only adult counted for council tax purposes in your Wandsworth home, you may qualify for a 25% discount on your bill. You need to apply for the Single Person Discount. On a Band D property charged £1,020.35 for 2026/27, that brings the annual bill down to £765.26.

This is a statutory discount, not means-tested. Your income and savings do not matter — only the number of countable adults in the property.

Who Gets Disregarded

"Only adult" does not always mean you live alone. Certain people are disregarded — invisible for council tax counting purposes — even if they share your home:

• Full-time students (enrolled on a qualifying course of 21+ hours per week)
• Under-18s
• People with a Severe Mental Impairment (SMI) certificate who receive a qualifying benefit
• Live-in carers who provide at least 35 hours of care per week and are not your spouse or partner or a child under 18
• People in detention or prison
• Diplomats and their staff

A lone parent living with children under 18 qualifies for the Single Person Discount because the children are disregarded. If your 18-year-old is a full-time student, they are also disregarded — the discount continues.

Applying in Wandsworth

You can apply for the Single Person Discount through wandsworth.gov.uk or by calling the council. The application is simpler than a Council Tax Reduction claim — no income evidence needed, just confirmation of your household composition.

Wandsworth periodically reviews Single Person Discount claims and may ask you to re-confirm that no other countable adult has moved in. Answer promptly, because a failed review means the discount gets removed until you prove your circumstances again.

How the Discount Stacks with Council Tax Reduction

The Single Person Discount is applied first. Council Tax Reduction is then calculated on the reduced figure.

For a lone parent in a Band D property:

1. Annual bill: £1,020.35
2. After 25% Single Person Discount: £765.26
3. If the parent receives UC with no earnings, has two children aged three or over, and meets no other Scheme 1 condition (Scheme 2, 90% CTR): £765.26 × 10% = £76.53 remaining for the year

That final figure — roughly £76.53 — is the actual amount owed. Without knowing to claim both, the same parent would face the full £1,020.35.

Lone Parents and Scheme Levels

Wandsworth's CTR scheme offers additional protection for lone parents:

Child under 3, no earnings → Scheme 1 (100% reduction). If you have a child under three and zero earned income, you fall under the most generous tier. Combined with the Single Person Discount, your bill is zero.

Earning lone parent with 1–2 children → Scheme 4 (80% reduction) if they do not qualify for Scheme 1, net weekly earnings stay below £250, and capital does not exceed the £6,000 limit. A lone parent with three or more children gets the same 80% if earnings stay below £275 per week.

Lone parent disregards. The council applies a £25 per week lone parent earnings disregard (higher than the £5 single person or £10 couple disregard) when calculating your net income, plus childcare cost deductions of up to £175 per week for one child or £300 for two or more. The child must be under 15, or under 16 if disabled.

Two Separate Claims

The Single Person Discount and Council Tax Reduction are separate claims. Apply for the discount through Wandsworth Council and make a separate CTR claim; the council applies the discount before calculating CTR.

The Wandsworth Council Tax Reduction guide walks through the combined calculation with worked examples for lone parent households across each scheme level.

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