An investigation led by Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert (MSE) team has uncovered a widespread failure that may have prevented millions of unpaid carers from claiming vital council tax reductions they are legally entitled to.
Investigation Uncovers Widespread Website Errors
The probe found that scores of local authorities across England and Wales had published incomplete or hard-to-find eligibility criteria for the live-in Carer Council Tax discount on their official websites. This crucial information lapse is believed to have deterred a significant portion of the nation's estimated five million unpaid carers from applying.
Specifically, the MSE team discovered that 69 councils, including seven in London, had posted incomplete lists of qualifying disability benefits on their sites. A further 80 authorities failed to provide any easily accessible details online about which benefits unlock the discount.
Kit Sproson, a senior money writer for MSE, stated that these website mistakes were "very likely to deter a decent chunk of up to five million unpaid carers from claiming." The investigation highlighted that carers supporting someone who needs regular, but not necessarily 24-hour, supervision were most at risk. In these cases, the person receiving care often qualifies for lower rates of benefits, which were frequently omitted from councils' guidance.
Martin Lewis's Urgent Call to Action
Responding to the findings, consumer champion Martin Lewis issued a stark warning: "unpaid carers can't trust councils' information about Carers' Council Tax discounts." He urged all carers who previously believed they were ineligible after checking their council's website to verify their status again, recommending they use help pages provided by Carers UK.
Lewis also advised those who missed out due to poor council information to request a backdated discount to the point of first eligibility, while noting that different councils have different rules on backdating.
He emphasised the immense contribution of unpaid carers, who provide at least 35 hours of care weekly: "This army... provides a silent and often un-thanked backbone that takes a burden off the NHS and care system... While it's often done out of love, that doesn't mean it isn't hard." He expressed particular dismay that carers are being "misled about £100s a year in discounts from their own councils."
What is the Live-in Carer Council Tax Discount?
The discount is designed for live-in carers who are not considered permanent residents for council tax purposes. This means if a carer lives with only the person they care for, the household is treated as having one resident and qualifies for a 25% single person discount.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Provide at least 35 hours of unpaid care per week.
- Care for someone in their household who is not a spouse, partner, or child under 18.
- Have the person receiving care be in receipt of a qualifying benefit.
Qualifying benefits include: Attendance Allowance (higher or lower rate), Disability Living Allowance (care component, higher or middle rate), Personal Independence Payment (daily living component), Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance, and Disablement Pension (increased rate).
The MSE team is now writing to all implicated councils, urging them to update their websites promptly and ensure internal policies are correct. They have also pledged to inform the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about this significant "information lapse." Since the investigation was published on January 12, some authorities have begun correcting their online guidance.
