Hundreds of thousands of people could be missing out on a council tax discount, according to Money Saving Expert. The discount could be worth hundreds of pounds.
The 'severely mentally impaired' (SMI) council tax discount is a reduction of a household's council tax bill. It can reduce the bill by anywhere from 25 per cent to the entire amount.
SMI can include diagnoses like dementia, profound learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, the results of a stroke, and more. Having SMI means you don't count towards the qualifying adults in a household, much like students and under-18s.
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That means someone with SMI living alone pay nothing, someone living with a carer gets 50 per cent off, someone living with one qualifying adult gets 25 per cent off, and those living with two or more qualifying adults get no discounts.
Any other non-qualifying adults in the household, like under-18s or students, don't change the reductions, as they don't count towards council tax either. That means someone with an SMI who lives with a child still gets a full 100 per cent discount.
According to Money Saving Expert, one 98-year-old's family got her a £15,000 refund and had her future bills axed. Another family got a £7,500 refund as their daughter has autism and her parents act as her carers.
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To qualify for the council tax discount, there are two criteria. You must be medically certified as being 'severely mentally impaired', and you must receive one of the following benefits:
- Incapacity benefit
- Attendance allowance
- Severe disablement allowance
- Disability living allowance (higher or middle-rate care component)
- Increase in disablement pension (due to constant attendance being needed)
- Unemployability supplement or allowance
- Constant attendance allowance
- Income support (which includes a disability premium)
- Personal independence payment (standard or enhanced daily living component)
- Armed forces independence payment
- Disability working allowance (based on getting income support including disability premium)
- Universal credit (including an element for limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work-related activity)
To claim the refund, you need a claim form from your council, which can be found on the government's website here. You then need a doctor's diagnosis, which either gets attached to your claim or the doctor will be contacted for information.
When a claim is accepted, the discount should apply automatically each year so you don't need to reapply. Some councils also backdate pay depending on their policy, but you must ask for their policy.
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