Eligibility for Council Tax discount or exemption
You may not need to pay the full amount of Council Tax if any of the following situations apply:
You live on your own (only person over age of 18 resident)
You are entitled to a single person discount of 25%.
You live with one or more other adults
If one or more of them aren't counted for Council Tax, you could receive a:
- a single person discount of 25%
- disregarded discount (25% or 50% off your bill)
Nobody in your home counts for Council Tax
If you and all other occupants do not count for Council Tax, you might not need to pay it.
Read more about Who does not count for council tax
Your property is exempt
If your property is used for a purpose which makes it exempt, you do not have to pay Council Tax.
Read more about:
Your property has been adapted for somebody with a disability
You may be entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax if your home has certain adaptations for an adult or child with a disability.
Read more about Disability Relief
You're a care leaver aged 25 or under
To qualify you must have been:
- Formally a child in the care of Oxfordshire County Council and then became a ‘Former Relevant Child’ as defined by The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. The Care Leaver must be resident and liable for Council Tax.
- Aged 18-21 your Council Tax bill will be reduced to nil after you have applied for Council Tax Reduction and any other discounts such as single person discount, student discount/exemption.
You can apply for Council Tax Reduction here
If you already get this, you can then apply for care leavers discount. Please provide a letter from Oxfordshire County Council confirming you are a care leaver and your details.
Empty Property Discounts and Premiums
If you have an empty property, you will still need to pay the council tax charge, to find out more please visit Discounts for Properties that are empty and unfurnished
Properties empty and unfurnished for 1 year or more may be subject to a long-term empty property premium. Please visit Long term Empty Property Premium to find out more.
(Please note the discount for Uninhabitable properties was reduced to 0% for a maximum of 12 months with effect from 1 April 2023)
From 1 April 2026 any properties that have been classed as a second home for 1 year or more will be subject to a 100% empty property premium. A second home is a property that is substantially furnished but it is not someone’s sole/main residence.
There are some circumstances where the empty property premium will not apply to your second home. Please visit Discounts for Properties that are empty and unfurnished