Armed forces Council Tax discount

Armed forces personnel who are required to live in barracks but own a residential property may be eligible for a Council Tax discount of 50%.

To qualify for the discount:

the person liable to pay Council Tax at the property must be in the armed forces and required to live in barracks in England, Scotland or Wales
the property must be unoccupied and furnished.

The discount only applies to unoccupied properties and not properties where the person’s partner or family live.

To apply for the discount, email ctax@medway.gov.uk with evidence of your posting.

Council Tax premiums

An additional premium is usually charged for a second home but where there is entitlement to the 50% discount, the premium will not apply.

Housing Benefit regulations provide for the first £10 of war pensions income to be disregarded when calculating entitlement as a minimum.

Medway Council has chosen to disregard all income from war pensions.

Our Council Tax Reduction scheme provides support for working age residents on low incomes.

You'll be treated the same as someone of state pension age if you're working age and have:

We do not count your pension as income if you receive:

No deductions are made for non-dependants who are members of the armed forces away from home.

The Ministry of Defence provides a Council Tax relief scheme for all regular and reserve service personnel serving in qualifying locations overseas.

To be eligible for Council Tax relief, you must either:

pay Council Tax
be counted as being resident for Council Tax purposes at a property in England, Scotland or Wales
pay contributions instead of Council Tax for service family accommodation.

The daily rate of Council Tax relief is equal to the average Council Tax per dwelling in England.

Council Tax relief is paid as a tax-free lump sum on completion of duty, based on the number of days in the qualifying location.

For further details about Council Tax relief, contact your unit HR staff.