Can I get a council tax discount for caring for a disabled child?

No: the standard carer's discount excludes parents of a child under 18. But most families with a disabled child can still cut council tax via the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme or means-tested Council Tax Support.

Why the carer's discount does not apply to you

The discount you have probably read about is the council's carer's disregard, which can take a live-in carer out of the household count for council tax. To qualify, the carer has to give at least 35 hours of care a week, live in the same home, and care for someone who gets a qualifying disability benefit such as the higher-rate care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). The catch is the last condition: the carer must not be a "disqualified relative", and the law counts the parent of the cared-for person as disqualified where that person is a child under 18 (the Council Tax (Additional Provisions for Discount Disregards) Regulations 1992). So a parent caring for their own disabled under-18 simply cannot be disregarded as a carer. Some council websites still word this badly, which is why the government reminded councils to fix it in Council Tax Information Letter 2/2026.

The two routes that do work

That is not the end of the road. There are two separate ways a household with a disabled child can pay less, and many parents never hear of the first one.

• Disabled Band Reduction Scheme. This is not means-tested and needs no diagnosis. It applies where the home is the main residence of a disabled person (an adult or a child) and has been adapted or used for their needs: an extra room used by the disabled person, an extra bathroom or kitchen, or enough floor space to use a wheelchair indoors. If you qualify, the bill is charged at the next band down, so a Band D home is billed as Band C. A home already in Band A gets a 17% reduction instead.
• Council Tax Support (also called Council Tax Reduction). This is means-tested and run by your own council, so the rules and the size of the cut vary from area to area. It is based on your household income, not on your child's diagnosis, and a disabled child in the home can increase the amount you get.

One honest caveat: meeting the criteria is not the same as being granted the reduction. The council decides each claim on the evidence, and for the band reduction it is the qualifying room or wheelchair space that has to be shown, not simply that your child is disabled. If you are refused, ask for the decision in writing and how to challenge it.

How to apply

Both routes go through the same place: your local council's council tax team. Apply for the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme on your council's website, and in the same call or form ask the council tax team to assess you for Council Tax Support. You can claim both at once if both apply. For wider help with the costs of raising a disabled child, see what grants are available and the disabled child element of Universal Credit.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.