Council Tax Reduction if you are on a low income
You may be eligible for help to pay your Council Tax if you are on a low income.
To qualify, you must be:
- On a low income
- Responsible for paying Council Tax
Anyone can make a claim, but if your income or savings are more than £16,000 you may not be eligible.
Apply for Council Tax Reduction if you are on a low income
You can use the online form to calculate what you may be entitled to and make a claim.
Sole Occupier Discount
You will get 25% off your bill if you are the only person in your household aged 18 or over.
If you have recently moved to the property and need to tell us about this change please complete the change of address form. You can request Sole Occupier Discount at the same time.
Apply for, cancel or continue your Sole Occupier Discount
Completing this form takes around 10 minutes.
To complete this form you will need your Council Tax account reference number.
After you have submitted your application
It can take us up to 4 to 6 weeks to process the application. This may be longer during busy period. You will receive a new bill showing the discount once we have processed your application.
Please continue to pay the instalments on your current bill until then.
Student discount
To be considered a student you must be undertaking a full-time course of education and studying for at least 24 weeks (21 hours per week).
This could include students who are:
- under 20 and on a qualifying course, or
- a foreign language assistant, or
- someone who is taking a course which leads to a registration under the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979, or
- taking a full time Open University Course worth 120 points (two part time courses worth 60 points is not equal to a full-time course).
After you have submitted your application
It can take us up to 4 to 6 weeks to process the application. This may be longer during busy period. You will receive a new bill showing the discount once we have processed your application.
Please continue to pay the instalments on your current bill until then.
Discounts for young people and care leavers
Oldham Council have introduced a local discount which aims to support care leavers in their transition to independent living. Care leavers up to the age 25 who are living in the borough and are responsible for council tax will receive a 100% discount.
A property that is occupied wholly by persons under the age of 18 is exempt.
There are also discounts available for:
- 18 year olds for whom child benefit is being paid, and
- Youth training trainees, under 25 who have an individual training plan funded by the skills funding agency or young people’s learning agency.
Apply for a young persons Council Tax discount
If you think you may be entitled to a discount contact our Council Tax team:
Other discounts and exemptions
If a disabled person lives in your property you may qualify for a reduction.
If an empty property is undergoing structural and/or major repair works you may qualify for a reduction.
We may be able to give you a discount if you or someone living with you fits into a certain group.
For example:
- apprentices, and youth trainees
- you receive child benefit for this person, who is over 18 years of age
- 18- and 19-year-olds who are at or have just left school/college
- people who are severely mentally impaired
- people being looked after in care homes or permanently in hospital
- people caring for someone
- people serving a prison sentence
You may be exempt from paying Council Tax in certain circumstances (this could mean you have nothing to pay).
For example:
- If a property is left unoccupied because someone has died
- If a property is left unoccupied by someone who is permanently in hospital or a care home
- If a property has been repossessed
- If a property is only occupied by full-time students
Apply for any other discount or exemption
You can't use this form to check if you qualify for a Sole Occupier Discount or Council Tax Reduction.
Completing this form takes around 10 minutes.
Supporting documentation
Upload your evidence from previous applications, but do not include evidence for Council Tax Reduction claims.
After you have submitted your application
It can take us up to 4 to 6 weeks to process the application. This may be longer during busy period. You will receive a new bill showing the discount once we have processed your application.
Please continue to pay the instalments on your current bill until then.