A severe mental impairment is a condition that can affect how someone thinks and how they interact with other people.
It may include any of the following conditions:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- the effects of a stroke
- severe learning difficulties
- the result of an injury
If you are aged 18 or over and you have a severe mental impairment, you may receive a discount or exemption on your Council Tax bill.
How to qualify
You must be certified by a registered medical professional, such as a doctor, as having a severe mental impairment that is considered permanent.
You must also be eligible to receive at least 1 of these benefits:
Living support
- Incapacity benefit
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
- increase in the rate of Disablement Pension as constant attendance is needed
- care component of Disability Living Allowance at the higher or middle rate
- Personal Independence Payment, with a standard or enhanced daily living component
Employment support
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Unemployability Supplement as an increase to Disablement Pension
- Unemployability Supplement, payable with War Disablement Pension
- Income Support disability premium awarded on the grounds of incapacity for work
- Jobseeker’s Allowance if received by the partner of the severely mentally impaired person
- Disability Living Allowance, where 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
Tax support
- Disability element of Working Tax Credit, where previously entitled to Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance
Support for members of the armed forces
- Unemployability Supplement payable with War Disablement Pension
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
What discount or exemption you can get
If you have a severe mental impairment and either:
- you live by yourself
- all the other adults living with you have a severe mental impairment or are full-time students
You can get a 100% discount on your Council Tax.
You will get a 50% discount on your Council Tax bill if all other adults living with you are ‘disregarded’. This means that we do not count them when figuring out how many people live in your property.
If you live with someone who has a severe mental impairment and there are either:
- no other adults living in your property
- everyone else in your property is disregarded
You will be eligible for a 25% discount on your Council Tax bill.
How to apply
To apply for this discount or exemption for yourself or on behalf of someone else, you will need to ask your GP to complete the Doctor's Certificate;
Once you receive this back from the GP you can complete the Severe Mental Impairment Application form, ensuring that you provide the completed Doctors Certificate and evidence of receipt of one of the qualifying benefits. Without these documents, your application cannot be considered.
Severe Mental Impairment application
What happens next
Once your application is submitted it will be reviewed. We aim to make a decision within 14 days of receipt of the application. You will be notified of the outcome and if successful a revised council tax demand will be issued showing the discount/exemption.