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Our offices and phone lines will be closed between 25-27 December and 1 January. For emergencies please check our out of hours numbers.

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Paying council tax when someone has died

We understand there is a lot to arrange when someone dies. For council tax purposes, you may be able to claim a discount or exemption, depending on how many people still live at the deceased person’s property.

There are two main rules:

  • If there is only one adult occupier left at the property a 25 per cent discount can be claimed
  • If the property is unoccupied and was owned by the deceased, it will be exempt from charges until probate is granted, and for up to six months after that date if it remains unoccupied. After the six months, the deceased’s estate has to pay the full council tax charge. Please complete the Tell Us Once form on GOV.UK if you haven’t already.

Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most central and local government services securely and confidentially without you having to inform them individually.

Although we review the circumstances of unoccupied properties, you can help us keep our records up to date by confirming the date that probate is granted, and the sale details when they are known by emailing [email protected].