Who should pay the council tax?

[Cavapoo123]

A couple are moving in together. Person A is moving into Person B’s house.

Person A works full-time, currently pays £1500 in house bills in their own place (rented), will only be paying around £700 once moving into Person B’s house (also rented). Person B has no children. Earns around £2000 per month after tax.

Person B doesn’t work due to ill health, is on disability benefits, also has a disabled child who receives disability benefits. Also receives £120 per month child maintenance. Person B’s benefits will go down by around £800 once Person A moves in, but will be making up some of the money by saving on some of the joint house bills that Person A will be contributing towards.

Person B currently doesn’t have to pay council tax due to disability exemptions, however once Person A moves in, the house will have to pay council tax again which even with the single person discount will be around £190 per month.

Who is responsible for this council tax bill?

That’s if you cancel it… I’m not cancelling my LCWRA? Cancelling and reapplying is different than a renewal, where the DWP ask if your condition is still the same. If you have never applied for it before please don’t try and lecture people who actually receive it on how it works

Person A should make good any loss in benefits including council tax by taking a greater proportion of the bills.

Exactly. Gas, water rates, internet, tv licence, it’s not as simple as splitting food 3 ways.
Person A is definitely subsidising the child. But as I said before, if it’s being treated as a financial transaction and not a family at this stage, I’d be swerving it.
B which is clearly the OP is resentful about the CT increase and losing some benefits. Person A who is the only one working will be getting the poorer “deal”.
To me though, it’s a recipe for disaster all round.

The financial set up is too complicated. Do not move in together. It will end in tears.

Person A. Person B shouldn't start paying it now just because someone has moved in. They would have been other bills before so it is reasonable those should be split.

So fraud?

Does the child not use any of the utilities or watch tv? Person A in paying half is definitely paying for the child!

Sorry I thought you said that what wa happening

but that is what happens when usually a mum on benifits and partner moves in - as income is in a pot

how long have they been together ? Living apart sounds easier

There is no 'should'. You, being person B, presumably, can't expect your 'partner' to subsidise you £800 because that's what you'll lose out on. They can only be expected to contribute to their portion of bills, etc.

However, if that makes your living costs unviable, then you need to stay as two separate households.

I guess person A because it's literally the reason why it's now needing to be paid.

It's not fair for someone on disability who's usually exempt to suddenly start having to pay it. If I was B I'd say that A can only move in if they cover it.

Else B is out of pocket. Which isn't fair especially If they have disabled kids also.

Goodness, how complicated!!! Therein the problem I guess. If there's this amount of furore over finances already I would keep separate households, particularly as being exempt from council tax due to being completely on benefits is so advantageous financially.

Sounds to me like person B would be getting royally screwed by person A and would be a bloody fool to let person A move in.

But if they did then at the very least person A should pay B what they are losing and then cover the additional costs of them living there on top.

Moving in together should not be making person A better off and person B worse off.

Actually, thinking about this....if the OP is not considered Severely Mentally Impaired, she should have full exemption for Council Tax. There is no disability exemption. Only Severe Mental Impairment.

Person B needs to think about whether he wants to be financially responsible for a non-working adult and a disabled child, doesn’t he?

Realistically, the country is unlikely to continue paying so many benefits indefinitely.

"Am assuming that the council tax bill for a in their own flat with single discounts in their previous property will now be considerably more with no single discount, different area and bigger property?"

Person A will still get single person discount.

but you are two @Cavapoo123 your child and yourself, therefore bills should be split accordingly. You have after all been paying it all by yourself for you and your child up until now.

Your partner should not have to subsidise your child (whom you've always been paying for) the tricky part, is, indeed, your council tax.

If you will lose all the reduction, that you've, thus far had, it would not be unreasonable for your partner to absorb your council tax hit.

BUT they should only be paying one third of your household bills.

This is so garbled as to be pretty much incomprehensible. I recommend putting it all on a spreadsheet, with "before" and "after" columns. And if you're arguing about this now, then it will get worse and my advice to Person A (if I've got it the right way round) would be stick to living on your own and to Person B, "Run!"

Person B should not move in with person A.
They should protect and keep what they have and not risk it.

You don't move in together if this is even a question OP. If you rely on benefits then someone working full time will have to take the load. If they're not completely on board then don't do it.

Resentment has a way of setting in.

You wrote "person B has no children", presumably accidentally, so you need to change it.

Person A should pay for the Council Tax, because without them in the house there is an exemption in place. If person B and person A can't work this out through an amicable conversation they should not be moving in together.

The OP is confusing since it says both that Person B has no kids, and then that they have a disabled child. Also says that Person B doesn’t work, but then say that they “earn £2000 a month”.

All of that aside, since the council tax arises as a result of Person A moving in, and Person A will be reducing their accommodation costs by half, clearly Person A pays the council tax.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? It never ceases to amaze me how the taxpayers can be expected to keep subsidising to such a large extent. The difference now is huge between working or not, especially when you factor in council tax to be paid if you're on average income. Our bill has just come in, and it's £3k per annum.

Person B, I assume you, would be better off continuing to live on their own with their DC. I can’t imagine having less money for my child to accommodate living with a partner.

It would be different of you were looking at combined household finances and equal disposable income etc.

Why are you talking about people being severely mentally impaired? Sorry, you've lost me!