Financial campaigner Martin Lewis has issued an urgent call for millions of unpaid carers to check their eligibility for a crucial Council Tax discount, after an investigation revealed widespread errors on local authority websites.
Widespread Errors on Council Websites
An investigation by MoneySavingExpert, founded by Martin Lewis, discovered that at least 69 local authorities across England and Wales had incorrect or incomplete information about the live-in Carer Council Tax discount on their official sites. This equates to a minimum of one in five councils displaying wrong details.
The probe, which checked the online information from over 200 of the 318 billing authorities, found the errors were likely putting off a significant number of the UK's up to five million unpaid carers from claiming a discount they are legally entitled to.
What is the Carer Council Tax Discount?
Under the rules for England and Wales, a live-in carer can be 'disregarded' for Council Tax purposes if they are the only other adult resident apart from the person they care for. This typically grants the household a 25% single person discount, worth around £500 a year on average.
The discount can rise to 50% if the person being cared for also qualifies for a 'Severe Mental Impairment' disregard.
The core issue identified was that many council websites failed to list all the qualifying disability benefits. The rules were updated in 2013 to include additional benefits, but numerous councils had not refreshed their online guidance since.
What Carers Need to Do Now
Since the findings were published on Monday 12 January 2026, more than two dozen councils have already updated their websites with correct information. However, Lewis urges all carers who previously checked and thought they were ineligible to check again.
He advised using resources like Carers UK's help pages for clarity. Crucially, he stated that those who missed out due to incorrect council information should request a backdated discount to the point they first became eligible, though policies on backdating vary by council.
"Unpaid carers can't trust councils' information about Carers' Council Tax discounts," Lewis said. "This army of up to five million carers provides a silent and often un-thanked backbone that takes a burden off the NHS and care system."
MoneySavingExpert is writing to all councils involved, urging them to update their sites immediately, and Lewis plans to report the information lapse to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
