Single people and council tax

Those claiming Single Person Discount on their council tax will shortly be asked to confirm whether they are still the only adult living in their property and therefore entitled to continue to receive the reduction. Incorrectly claiming this discount may be considered council tax fraud.

Letters will be sent to the registered council tax-payer at many of these properties, requiring them to confirm the current occupancy.

Recipients will have 21 days to respond by completing an online form or, if they don’t have access to the internet, by returning an optional paper reply.  Failing to respond in time risks loss of the entitlement to the discount.

Anyone who claims the discount but has others living with them who are aged 18 or over who are not already disregarded for council tax purposes, such as students or carers, could be committing council tax fraud and could face the serious risk of prosecution.  This could result in them receiving a fine, a criminal record or potentially more serious consequences if the fine is then not paid.  They will also face the prospect of having to pay back all the discount that they wrongly received.

Those wanting to update their record or struggling to pay council tax should visit southoxon.gov.uk/counciltax or call 0345 302 2313.